Pluto nearly fills the frame in this image from the
Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) aboard NASA’s New Horizons
spacecraft, taken on July 13, 2015 when the spacecraft was 476,000 miles
(768,000 kilometers) from the surface. This is the last and most
detailed image sent to Earth before the spacecraft’s closest approach to
Pluto on July 14. The color image has been combined with
lower-resolution color information from the Ralph instrument that was
acquired earlier on July 13. This view is dominated by the large, bright
feature informally named the “heart,” which measures approximately
1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers) across. The heart borders darker
equatorial terrains, and the mottled terrain to its east (right) are
complex. However, even at this resolution, much of the heart’s interior
appears remarkably featureless—possibly a sign of ongoing geologic
processes.
