Nasa's New Horizons Probe Reveals Last of Pluto's Moons

Advertisement
By Indo-Asian News Service | Updated: 23 October 2015 18:38 IST
Interplanetary space probe New Horizons has sent the images of Pluto's moon Kerberos, which appears to be smaller than scientists expected and has a highly-reflective surface.

Kerberos appears to have a double-lobed shape, around 12 km in its long dimension and 4.5 km in its shortest dimension, US space agency Nasa said in a statement.

"Once again, the Pluto system has surprised us," said New Horizons project scientist Hal Weaver, of the Johns Hopkins University's Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland.

An image of Kerberos was created by combining four Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) pictures taken on July 14. The new data was downlinked from the New Horizons spacecraft on October 20.

Advertisement

Scientists speculate from its unusual shape that Kerberos could have been formed by the merger of two smaller objects.

Advertisement

The reflectivity of Kerberos' surface is similar to that of Pluto's other small moons (approximately 50 percent) and strongly suggests Kerberos, like the others, is coated with relatively clean water ice.

Earlier, scientists theorised Kerberos was relatively large and massive, appearing faint only because its surface was covered in dark material.

Advertisement

But the small, bright-surfaced Kerberos now revealed in new images shows that the idea was incorrect, for reasons that are not yet understood.

"Our predictions were nearly spot-on for other small moons, but not for Kerberos," said New Horizons co-investigator Mark Showalter, of the SETI Institute in Mountain View, California.

Advertisement

The new results are expected to lead to a better understanding of Pluto's fascinating satellite system.

The images of Kerberos taken by Nasa's New Horizons spacecraft complete the family portrait of Pluto's moons - Styx, Nix, Kerberos, Hydra and Charon.

 

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.

Further reading: Nasa, New Horizons, Pluto, Science, Space
Advertisement

Related Stories

Popular Mobile Brands
  1. Best Diwali 2025 Wishes, Quotes, and Facebook Statuses to Share
  2. Madam Sengupta Is Now Streaming: Know Where to Watch This Bangla Crime Thriller
  1. Mysterious Asteroid Impact Found in Australia, But the Crater is Missing
  2. Thanal Comes to OTT: Everything You Need to Know About This Tamil Action Thriller
  3. Madam Sengupta Is Now Streaming: Know Where to Watch This Bangla Crime Thriller
  4. Ryugu Samples Reveal Ancient Water Flow on Asteroid for a Billion Years
  5. Scientists Create Most Detailed Radio Map of Early Universe Using MWA
  6. Mayor of Kingstown Season 4 OTT Release: Know When, Where to Watch Jeremy Renner's Crime Drama
  7. Our Fault Is Streaming Now: Know All About This Gabriel Guevara and Nicole Wallace Starrer
  8. The Conjuring: Last Rites Is Now Streaming Online: Know Where to Watch the Latest Installment from the Horror Franchise
  9. Delhi Crime Season 3 OTT Release: Know When to Watch This Shefali Shah Thriller Series
  10. Vast Space to Launch Haven-1, the World’s First Private Space Station in 2026
Gadgets 360 is available in
Download Our Apps
Available in Hindi
© Copyright Red Pixels Ventures Limited 2025. All rights reserved.