Pluto has Water! And is Blue to Human Eyes!

Some colour images were released from New Horizons today, showing some of the first true colour views of the icy dwarf planet.  The amazing thing is that to human eyes, the combination of Methane and Nitrogen in the atmosphere give it a gorgeous blue tinge.

Pluto photo in colours that Human Eyes would see. Credits: NASA/JHUAPL/SwRI

The other amazing piece of news is that Pluto has water ice on its surface! Check out these photos highlighted for surface water ice.

Highlighted Blue areas show where water ice signatures were detected on Pluto. Credits: NASA/JHUAPL/SwRI

By looking for the signature of Sunlight reflected off water, the cameras on New Horizons can spot regions where water ice is dominant.  Pluto continues to surprise!

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