Astronomy Picture of the Day ·

Pluto's Sputnik Planum

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for November 22, 2016 is “Pluto's Sputnik Planum,” an image. It is credited to Image Credit: NASA , Johns Hopkins U./APL , Southwest Research Inst.. The original explanation runs about 122 words.

Pluto's Sputnik Planum
Credit: Image Credit: NASA , Johns Hopkins U./APL , Southwest Research Inst. Shown from science.nasa.gov. Not hosted by OpenOrbit.

From the explanation

“Is there an ocean below Sputnik Planum on Pluto? The unusually smooth 1000-km wide golden expanse, visible in the featured image from New Horizons , appears segmented into convection cells .”

— APOD editors, November 22, 2016

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date
November 22, 2016
Type
Image
Credit
Credit: Image Credit: NASA , Johns Hopkins U./APL , Southwest Research Inst.
Copyright
No copyright notice on the entry. Check the credited institution’s own usage rules before reusing it.
Explanation length
About 122 words

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On this day: November 22 in other years

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Source

Copy taken Oct 28, 2026, 2:39 AM EDT. The image and explanation belong to their creators. OpenOrbit is not affiliated with or endorsed by NASA.