Pluto's landscape./Courtesy of NASA, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Southwest Research Institute

This photo was taken by the unmanned spacecraft New Horizons 15 minutes after it approached Pluto, from a distance of about 18,000 kilometers. The image shows Pluto's icy mountains and plains covered with nitrogen and carbon monoxide ice. The mountains on the front left are called "Norgay Montes," while "Hillary Montes" can be seen near the distant horizon. To the right, the smooth terrain of "Sputnik Planum" unfolds.