--- title: Pluto: New Images Reveal Vast, Crater-Free Surface description: Vast, crater-less plains discovered in the heart of the former planet's "heart." canonical: https://time.com/3963004/nasa-pluto-new-horizons/ author: Eric Dodds article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-07-17T18:29:17.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-22T09:21:50.523Z article:section: Science og:title: NASA Probe Reveals Pluto's Surface og:description: Vast, craterless plains were discovered on the former planet og:url: https://time.com/3963004/nasa-pluto-new-horizons/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltec24b503b3f2633e/69885b723c1639f525458e48/pluto_heart_of_the_heart_03.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: pluto_heart_of_the_heart_03 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: NASA Probe Reveals Pluto's Surface twitter:description: Vast, craterless plains were discovered on the former planet twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltec24b503b3f2633e/69885b723c1639f525458e48/pluto_heart_of_the_heart_03.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # NASA Probe Reveals Close-Up on Pluto's Surface by [Eric Dodds](https://time.com/author/eric-dodds/) ## Eric Dodds Jul 17, 2015 6:29 PM UTC  In the center left of Pluto’s vast heart-shaped feature – informally named “Tombaugh Regio” - lies a vast, craterless plain that appears to be no more than 100 million years old, and is possibly still being shaped by geologic processes. This frozen region is north of Pluto’s icy mountains and has been informally named Sputnik Planum (Sputnik Plain), after Earth’s first artificial satellite. The surface appears to be divided into irregularly-shaped segments that are ringed by narrow troughs. Features that appear to be groups of mounds and fields of small pits are also visible. This image was acquired by the Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) on July 14 from a distance of 48,000 miles (77,000 kilometers). Features as small as one-half mile (1 kilometer) across are visible. The blocky appearance of some features is due to compression of the image. In the center left of Pluto’s vast heart-shaped feature – informally named “Tombaugh Regio” - lies a vast, craterless plain that appears to be no more than 100 million years old, and is possibly still being shaped by geologic processes. This frozen region is north of Pluto’s icy mountains and has been informally named Sputnik Planum (Sputnik Plain), after Earth’s first artificial satellite. The surface appears to be divided into irregularly-shaped segments that are ringed by narrow troughs. Features that appear to be groups of mounds and fields of small pits are also visible. This image was acquired by the Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) on July 14 from a distance of 48,000 miles (77,000 kilometers). Features as small as one-half mile (1 kilometer) across are visible. The blocky appearance of some features is due to compression of the image.NASA/JHUAPL/SWRI by [Eric Dodds](https://time.com/author/eric-dodds/) ## Eric Dodds Jul 17, 2015 6:29 PM UTC Two days after NASA released its first images from the New Horizons spacecraft, a team of the organization’s experts revealed new details about Pluto’s surface and atmosphere, as well as [new close-up images](http://www.nasa.gov/feature/latest-images-of-pluto-from-new-horizons) of the dwarf planet. In addition to the mountain ranges unveiled on Wednesday, NASA also provided details on the plains of Pluto, including one region dubbed “Sputnik Planum,” a large, crater-free area that is likely no more than 100 million years old. Among the other distinguishing features of dwarf planet’s surface are hills, pitted surfaces, troughs and dark material within those troughs. “Pluto is just as geographically active as any other place we’ve seen in the solar system,” said Randy Gladstone, New Horizons co-investigator at Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio. The experts also discussed the numerous craters on the planet’s surface, many of which have been partially destroyed, likely by erosion. The scientists say that they will know much more about Pluto’s surface in a month or two, once further data has been processed and analyzed. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3963004/nasa-pluto-new-horizons/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3963004/nasa-pluto-new-horizons/"},"headline":"NASA Probe Reveals Close-Up on Pluto's Surface","datePublished":"2015-07-17T18:29:17.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T09:21:50.523Z","description":"“Pluto is just as geographically active as any other place we’ve seen in the solar system”","url":"https://time.com/3963004/nasa-pluto-new-horizons/","keywords":["Space","Pluto"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltec24b503b3f2633e/69885b723c1639f525458e48/pluto_heart_of_the_heart_03.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Eric Dodds","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/eric-dodds/"}],"articleSection":"Science","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltec24b503b3f2633e/69885b723c1639f525458e48/pluto_heart_of_the_heart_03.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"pluto_heart_of_the_heart_03","caption":"In the center left of Pluto’s vast heart-shaped feature – informally named “Tombaugh Regio” - lies a vast, craterless plain that appears to be no more than 100 million years old, and is possibly still being shaped by geologic processes. 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