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NASA showed first maps of Pluto and Charon


Scientists continue to study the solar system and collect all the data into the database. Astronomers and cartographers process data and small objects. Recently, a joint team of NASA/JHU-APL / SwRI posted a map of Pluto and Charon.

The scientists treated materials obtained from New Horizons on July 14 this year. On the map are marked the most obvious objects (plains, craters, mountain ranges), which scientists gave their own names. In order to give the name of any object, the experts used the names of ships and space missions, scientists and engineers, explorers and discoverers.

We need the names to call things. We work with these data. You can not just say, "Oh, this canyon to the left," - commented one of the participants of the project.

It is interesting that the very "heart of the Pluto" was named Tombaugh Regio, in honor of the scientist who discovered Pluto in 1930.


Similarly, scientists began to work with a map of Charon, one of the moons of Pluto. Its map is also posted on the Web.

The names of objects on Charon were given from the database of names of literary heroes and characters in the movie. So, there are many names that are familiar to fans of Star Trek and Star Wars. There are also names taken from the "Lord of the Rings."

Previously, scientists have laid out a pretty detailed photo of the Pluto. When combining black and white and color images of the planetoid, the researchers got an interesting picture, "portrait" of Pluto. Thus, the "heart" of the planet most likely consists of ice. Two blue-and-white lines extending in the direction of the south-west and north-east probably represent exotic ices, which were in any way moved from the region «Sputnik».

To create this image were combined four photographs obtained by the tool LORRI, with color photographs of the instrument Ralph.

Now scientists continue to process the data sent by New Horizons, so we have to learn so much more interesting.

Digital cartography and GPS navigation 10-08-2015