Pluto Gallery

Jupiter and Io, New Horizons image

Jupiter and Io. Montage of images of Jupiter (left) and its moon Io (right), obtained by the New Horizons spacecraft in February and March 2007 as it passed Jupiter on its way to Pluto. The image of Jupiter was obtained with its infrared spectrometer (LEISA). The different colours show high-altitude clouds (blue), and deeper clouds (red). The Great Red Spot (lower left) is blue and white. The Io image was obtained in approximate true colour with a long-range camera (LORRI) and a multispectral camera (MVIC). The red dot on the nightside of Io is an eruption of the Tvashtar volcano. The volcanic plume (blue) seen above the eruption is 330 kilometres high. Jupiter is the solar system's largest planet

© NASA/JHU/APL/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

Planets internal structures

Planets internal structures, and Pluto, computer artwork. Mercury, Mars and Venus consist of a large iron core (spherical), surrounded by a thick silicate mantle (yellow) covered in a surface crust. Earth consists of an inner core of solid iron and nickel (yellow) and a molten outer core (orange), surrounded by a mantle of highly viscous liquid (brown) covered by a surface crust. Jupiter and Saturn consist of a core of rock (spherical) surrounded by ice (mat grey). This is surrounded by a layer of liquid metallic hydrogen (grey) and liquid normal hydrogen (blue). Uranus and Neptune have a core of rock (spherical) surrounded by ice and liquid hydrogen (blue). Pluto has a dense rocky core (grey) surrounded by ice (black)

© CHRISTIAN DARKIN/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

Computer artwork of planets on a large explosion

Solar system planets. Computer artwork of the planets of the Solar System on a huge explosion. Clockwise from lower left, the planets are: Saturn, Mars, Pluto (a Dwarf planet), Jupiter, Mercury, Uranus, Neptune, Venus and the Earth with the Moon to its right. This could represent the Big Bang as the source of all the planets. The Big Bang is one theory to explain the formation of the Universe. It is based on the observation that everything in the visible universe is expanding from one point. It is thought that all matter was formed at this instant. The heavy materials which make up planets are thought to have been formed in stars

© VICTOR HABBICK VISIONS/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY