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Nix & Hydra, Moons of Pluto

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New Horizons captured these images of Nix and Hydra, two of Pluto’s moons, on July 14. They were first discovered in 2005 in imagery returned by the Hubble Space Telescope.

This enhanced-color view of Nix (left) was taken by New Horizons’ Ralph instrument. About 42 kilometers (26 miles) long and 36 kilometers (22 miles) wide, the moon has a mysterious reddish spot.

This view of Hydra (right) was taken by New Horizons’ Long-Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI). The irregularly shaped moon is about 55 kilometers (34 miles) long.

Created:

July 14, 2015

ID#:

WEB15079-2015

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Smithsonian Institution

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