New
Spacecraft scheduled for close flyby on July 14
Thomson Reuters Posted: May 13, 2015 12:23 PM ET Last Updated: May 13, 2015 12:23 PM ET
Related Stories
NASA’s Pluto-bound spacecraft can now see the dwarf planet’s two tiniest known moons — both less than 30 kilometres wide.
Kerberos (which is 10 to 30 kilometres wide) and Styx (which is seven to 21 kilometres) are seen circling Pluto, along with the slightly larger moons Hydra and Nix, in an animated series of “family photos” captured by the New Horizons spacecraft between April 25 and May 1, and released by NASA Tuesday.
“New Horizons is now on the threshold of discovery,” said mission science team member John Spencer, from the Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, Colo., in a statement. “If the spacecraft observes any additional moons as we get closer to Pluto, they will be worlds that no one has seen before.”
New Horizons is scheduled to make a close flyby of Pluto and its moons on July 14.
NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft, seen in an artist’s impression, will make a close flyby of Pluto and its moons on July 14. (NASA/Reuters)
At the time the images were taken, the spacecraft was 89 million kilometres away. The glare from Pluto and its largest moon Charon, along with the light of background stars, were damped out using image processing.
Kerberos and Styx were discovered using the Hubble telescope in 2011 and 2012, respectively.
Comments on this story are moderated according to our Submission Guidelines. Comments are welcome while open. We reserve the right to close comments at any time.
Submission Policy
Note: The CBC does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comments, you acknowledge that CBC has the right to reproduce, broadcast and publicize those comments or any part thereof in any manner whatsoever. Please note that comments are moderated and published according to our submission guidelines.
