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Tombaugh Regio

Adapted from Wikipedia · Explorer experience

A colorful image of the planet Pluto showing its icy surface and famous 'heart' region, taken by the New Horizons spacecraft in 2015.

Tombaugh Regio

Tombaugh Regio is a bright, heart-shaped area on the surface of Pluto. It looks like a big heart and is the most famous part of Pluto. This special spot is named after Clyde Tombaugh, the astronomer who discovered Pluto.

Tombaugh Regio has two parts. The western part is called Sputnik Planitia and is a smooth plain covered with nitrogen ice. The eastern part is higher and also has icy materials. Together, they make a beautiful, glowing spot on Pluto.

People first saw Tombaugh Regio as a bright spot many years before the New Horizons spacecraft flew by. In 2015, scientists gave it its official name to honor Clyde Tombaugh. Since then, they have learned that this area helps control Pluto's winds and shapes its surface.

Because of its shape, many people think Tombaugh Regio looks like a heart or even a friendly dog, just like the cartoon character Pluto. It is one of the most loved features in our solar system.

Images

A colorful image of Charon, Pluto's largest moon, showing its unique surface features as captured by NASA's New Horizons spacecraft.
A colorful map of Pluto showing different surface features as seen by the Hubble Space Telescope.
A colorful image of Pluto and its moon Charon, showing different surface features and materials as seen by the New Horizons spacecraft.
Scientists discovered frozen carbon monoxide in Pluto's 'Heart' region, showing how different materials are distributed across the planet's surface.
A colorful view of Pluto's icy plain called Sputnik Planum, captured by NASA's New Horizons spacecraft during its historic flyby in 2015.
A colorful map of Pluto's surface showing mountains and craters, taken by NASA's New Horizons spacecraft.
A detailed image of Pluto's icy plains and mountain ranges, showing the complex surface features of the dwarf planet as captured by NASA's New Horizons spacecraft.
A detailed image of Pluto's icy plain called Sputnik Planum, showing fascinating geological features like troughs and segments on the surface of the dwarf planet.
Scientists study how frozen nitrogen flows like glaciers across the surface of Pluto, moving from mountains into a large plain called Sputnik Planum.
A colorful map of the planet Pluto showing some of its major surface features.
A detailed map of Pluto's surface showing dark and bright regions, created from data collected by NASA's New Horizons spacecraft.
A colorful educational montage showing the planets in our solar system: Mercury, Venus, Earth with the Moon, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.
A colorful view of the dwarf planet Pluto and its large moon Charon, taken by NASA's New Horizons spacecraft during its historic flyby in 2015.

Related articles

Pluto
Clyde Tombaugh
Nitrogen

This article is a child-friendly adaptation of the Wikipedia article on Tombaugh Regio, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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