Watch Pluto Adorned in Christmas Theme with This New NASA Photo
Looks like NASA plans to celebrate this Christmas in Pluto as it posted a photo and a video showing how the little dwarf planet is getting decked out for the holiday in green and red by the spacecraft. The key is LEISA, New Horizon’s infrared imaging spectrometer. The image was taken on July 14, 2015 during its closest approach by the planet.
The spectrometer’s linearly-varying filter generates a stained glass window effect as it searches for reflected chemicals. It allows light with wavelengths as short as 1.25 microns to swoop on one side of the image sensor, and easily changes to allow light with wavelengths as long as 2.5 microns to fall on the distant side of the image sensor. They selected these wavelengths to identify ices and other materials on Pluto’s surface as they have special features in this wavelength range (see the dark band in the video).
Scientists didn’t use this red and green theme only to celebrate Christmas. They did it to learn more about the dwarf planet. Further research should help to figure out how bothPluto and its main moon Charon have resulted over time, and using the infrared scans would be crucial to confirming the presence of water ice on Pluto. This image will help us to change our perception of the solar system.