NASA has released startling new images taken by the New Horizons space probe of the dwarf planet, Pluto, showing beautiful blue skies and exposed regions of water!
In the recently released color images, Pluto's skies are seen to be blue – much like Earth's.
Also visible in the new imagery is mysterious red-hued ice water which has scientists baffled.
NASA researchers believe the existence of the red water may offer solid evidence to theories that Pluto may have a liquid sea.
"I'm surprised that this water ice is so red," team member Silvia Protopapa said. "We don’t yet understand the relationship between water ice and the reddish tholin colorants on Pluto's surface."
The color pictures were assembled from data sent back from the probe. Using intricate computer algorithms NASA was able to discern the true colors of the planetoid.
Lead researcher Dr. Alan Stern, sent the internet reeling earlier this week when he made a speech of the University of Alberta in Canada, saying that NASA would soon announce an amazing discovery about Pluto, The Guardian reported.
"This world is alive," Stern said. "It has weather, it has hazes in the atmosphere, active geology."
This was misinterpreted as the discovery of life on Pluto.
The notion was quickly dismissed by NASA tweeting that the rumor was "completely false".
The New Horizons exploration craft is now 3.1 billion miles (5 billion kilometers) from Earth, with all systems A-OK.