Yesterday, July 20, NASA posted a beautiful image of a rainbow colored Pluto on Instagram. The image has gone viral with netizens comparing it to the LGBT movement and Holi celebration. Find out what the colors really mean.
Yesterday, On July 20, NASA posted a stunning image of the dwarf planet Pluto on its official Instagram page. However, this was no ordinary image. The posted picture showcased a rainbow colored Pluto, with its surface filled with every color imaginable on the visible spectrum. Due to its unique nature, the image instantly went viral and netizens have begun adding their own spin to what the colors could mean. But sadly, Pluto was not caught celebrating Holi. Instead, the colors have a very scientific purpose. Read on to find out what the colors on Pluto represent.
Posting the image, NASA wrote, “Pluto isn’t really a psychedelic riot of colors—this translated color image was created by New Horizons scientists to highlight the many subtle color differences between the planet’s distinct regions”.
NASA shares rainbow colored Pluto to explain the complex terrain of the dwarf planet
So while netizens were busy wondering whether the colors had anything to do with the LGBT movement and the pride month (which was in June), NASA added clarification that the wonderful hues of the rainbow served a very real purpose. “Pluto has a complex, varied surface with jumbled mountains reminiscent of Europa, networks of carved-out valleys, old, heavily cratered terrain sitting right next to new, smooth icy plains, and even what might be wind-blown dunes,” it added.
The reason scientists know so much about the terrain of Pluto is because of the New Horizons space probe which launched on January 19, 2006 and conducted a six-month-long flyby study of Pluto and its moons in summer 2015. The spacecraft continues to explore the distant solar system, heading farther into the Kuiper Belt.
The image has gone viral with 920,819 likes and more than 2,800 comments at the time of writing this. The most popular demand in the comments was to return the planetary status to Pluto again. While that is not likely to happen, NASA has not forgotten about it and is continuing to research the interesting and complex terrains of the dwarf planet.
The NASA Instagram page posts such informative and educational posts almost everyday to make people more aware about the universe we are a part of.
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