See the most accurate natural color images of Pluto taken by New Horizons in 2015. These images show the icy, nitrogen-and-methane rich "heart" of Pluto and other features in true color. Thanks to the New Horizons mission, which conducted the first detailed study of Pluto in 2014, we know that Pluto's color is rather diverse, with patches of white, yellow and reddish.
The colour of Pluto depends on how you observe it, but New Horizons and Hubble have revealed the dwarf planet's rich typography and hues. See the most accurate natural color image of Pluto taken by NASA's New Horizons spacecraft in 2015. Learn about the diversity of geologic landforms on Pluto's surface and the icy, nitrogen-and-methane rich "heart," Sputnik Planitia.
Throughout this period, astronomers believed that Pluto was a dirty brown color. In recent years, thanks to improved observations and the New Horizons mission, we have finally managed to obtain a clear picture of what Pluto looks like. Pluto's surface features a variety of colors, mainly muted browns and grays, but also reddish regions with tholins.
Learn how Pluto's composition, atmosphere, and geology influence its color profile from NASA's New Horizons observations. The Discovery of Pluto's Color The discovery of Pluto's color dates back to the 1950s, when astronomers first began to study the planet using telescopes. Initially, Pluto appeared as a faint, grayish-white dot in the sky, but as technology improved, scientists were able to gather more detailed information about its color.
In the 1970s, astronomers used spectroscopy to analyze the light. Pluto's color is predominantly reddish-brown, influenced by chemical compounds like tholins and hydrocarbons. The presence of methane on the surface gives Pluto a reddish hue, as methane absorbs blue and green light, reflecting longer wavelengths corresponding to red light.
Pluto is mostly shades of reddish brown, with the redness caused by hydrocarbon molecules. See photos and about Pluto's colours and how they were discovered by the robotic probe New Horizons in 2015. The mission's first map of Pluto is in approximate true color-that is, the color you would see if you were riding on New Horizons.
At left, a map of Pluto's northern hemisphere composed using high.