Media Information

 
 
 
Collection:
NASA Solarsystem Collection
title:
New Horizons Sees Pluto (Animation)
description:
The Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) on New Horizons acquired images of the Pluto field three days apart in late September 2006, in order to see Pluto's motion against a dense background of stars. LORRI took three frames at 1-second exposures on both Sept. 21 and Sept. 24. Because it moved along its predicted path, Pluto was detected in all six images.

These images are displayed using false-color to represent different intensities: the lowest intensity level is black, different shades of red mark intermediate intensities, and the highest intensity is white.

The images appear pixilated because they were obtained in a mode that compensates for the drift in spacecraft pointing over long exposure times. LORRI also made these observations before operators uploaded new flight-control software in October; the upgraded software package includes an optical navigation capability that will make LORRI approximately three times more sensitive still than for these Pluto observations.

Image Credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Southwest Research Institute
keywords:
Solar System Exploration
keywords:
SSE
keywords:
Space
keywords:
NASA
keywords:
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
keywords:
JPL
keywords:
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
keywords:
Planets
facet_what:
Pluto
facet_what:
Imager
facet_what:
New Horizons
facet_what:
Long Range Reconnaissance Imager
facet_what:
LORRI
facet_where:
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
facet_where:
Pluto
facet_where:
Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)
facet_when:
September 2006
facet_when_year:
2006
UID:
SPD-SLRSY-5226
original url:

New Horizons Sees Pluto (Animation)