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View of the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center tower at sunset

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space shuttle launch

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Bob Hoover Gives an Air Show Performance

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Pluto's Satellites Nix and Hydra

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  3. Pluto's Satellites Nix and Hydra
  • Two fuzzy celestial bodies. The one of the left is reddish-white and the one of the right is black and white.
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    Pluto's moon Nix (left), shown here in enhanced color as imaged by NASA's New Horizons Ralph instrument, has a reddish spot that has attracted the interest of mission scientists. The data were obtained on the morning of July 14, 2015, and received on the ground on July 18. At the time the observations were taken New Horizons was about 102,000 miles (165,000 km) from Nix. The image shows features as small as approximately 2 miles (3 kilometers) across on Nix, which is estimated to be 26 miles (42 kilometers) long and 22 miles (36 kilometers) wide.

    Pluto's small, irregularly shaped moon Hydra (right) is revealed in this black and white image taken from New Horizons' LORRI instrument on July 14, 2015 from a distance of about 143,000 miles (231,000 kilometers). Features as small as 0.7 miles (1.2 kilometers) are visible on Hydra, which measures 34 miles (55 kilometers) in length.

  • Two fuzzy celestial bodies. The one of the left is reddish-white and the one of the right is black and white.

Created:

July 2015

ID#:

NASA-PIA19847

Source:

NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Southwest Research Institute

Owner:

Smithsonian Institution

Rights Usage:

Contact Smithsonian Institution

Terms of Use:

Smithsonian Terms of Use

For print or commercial use please see permissions information.

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Open daily 10:00 am – 5:30 pm

National Air and Space Museum

National Air and Space Museum 650 Jefferson Drive SW
Washington, DC

202-633-2214

Free Timed-Entry Passes Required

Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center

Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center 14390 Air and Space Museum Parkway
Chantilly, VA 20151

703-572-4118

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