New Delhi: The US space agency NASA has released the best colour and highest resolution images of Pluto`s largest moon, Charon.
The images of Charon were taken by the New Horizons spacecraft during its flyby of Pluto in July when the spacecraft flew near the dwarf planet.
Charon is more than half the size of Pluto and the images show that it is covered with mountains, canyons, landslides and other geographical markers.
Photo credits: NASA/JHUAPL/SwRI
The canyons stretch more than 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers) above the equator, across the entire face of Charon. These canyons are four times as long as the Grand Canyon and, in places, twice as deep. The canyon indicates an immense geological upheaval in Charon`s history.
According to NASA and SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) scientists, the photos reveal a surprising and unexpected history of the territory.
Photo credits: NASA/JHUAPL/SwRI
South of the canyon lies another notable landmark - the Vulcan Planum. Vulcan Planum is a series of smooth plains with faint ridges and grooves. The southern region contains fewer craters than the northern region, which scientists say indicates a wide-scale resurfacing.
Higher-resolution images of Charon and composition data are expected to continue to arrive to Earth throughout the year, as New Horizons continues to transmit the data stored in its` digital recorders.
New Horizons spacecraft became the first-ever space mission to explore the icy planet.
NASA also created a flyover video of Pluto's largest moon, Charon using the images from NASA's New Horizons spacecraft.
Watch the video:
Video credits: NASA/JHUAPL/SwRI/Stuart Robbins
(With PTI inputs)
