Pluto, the dwarf planet on the edge of the Solar System, is less of a mystery after NASA's New Horizons spacecraft passed close by and gathered remarkable images.
New Horizons Twitter account posted this "sneak peak" on the morning of July 14, 2015, just hours before the closest point of the interplanetary rendezvous: "The dwarf planet has sent a love note back to Earth via our New Horizons spacecraft, which has traveled more than 9 years and 3+ billion miles."
"This stunning image of the dwarf planet was captured from New Horizons at about 4 p.m. EDT on July 13, about 16 hours before the moment of closest approach," NASA said. "The spacecraft was 476,000 miles (766,000 kilometers) from the surface."
#WaltDisney was een visionair! http://t.co/rJVfidHmQJ pic.twitter.com/aAbGJwwWU1
-- Lead Stories (@LeadStoriesCom) July 14, 2015
Even more spectaular images arrived on Wednesday as the piano-sized spacecraft made its closest pass.
NASA said a photo of Pluto's equator showed "a range of youthful mountains rising as high as 11,000 feet (3,500 meters) above the surface of the icy body."
Lead Stories' Trendolizer travels billions of miles through the Internet to collect and analyze the hottest social network posting about Pluto and the rest of the Solar System. Scroll below to see the latest we've found. But remember: Just because it's trending doesn't mean it's true!
