It is the first colour image ever made of the Pluto system by a spacecraft on approach.
The image will be refined later by the New Horizons science team. It was taken from a distance of about 115 million kilometres. At this distance, neither Pluto nor Charon is well resolved by the color imager, but their distinctly different appearances can be seen. New Horizons will approach its flyby of Pluto on 14 July.
The next issue of Cosmos magazine will features the mission and discuss its objectives.
