Archive · 2 Jan 2026
Majestic Icy Mountains Of Pluto Go Viral: Is It AI Or Real?
A beautiful photo of Pluto's icy mountains and frozen plains went viral on social media.
Some people wondered if the photo was made by AI, but it was actually taken by NASA's New Horizons spacecraft.
The photo shows tall mountains and flat ice plains on Pluto.
Pluto is very cold and has a thin atmosphere.
It used to be considered the ninth planet but is now called a dwarf planet.
The photo was taken from a distance of 5.4365 billion kilometers away from Earth.
It took 9 years and 3 billion miles to get this shot.
A mosaic of Pluto’s icy mountains and frozen plains went viral on social media, with nearly 18 million views on X.
The photo was captured by NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft on July 14, 2015.
Some viewers questioned if the image was AI-generated, but it was confirmed to be real.
Pluto’s tallest mountains can reach heights of up to 11,000 feet (3,500 meters).
Pluto was reclassified as a dwarf planet in 2006 due to its size and orbital path.
- Who
- NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft
- What
- A mosaic of Pluto’s icy mountains and frozen plains
- When
- July 14, 2015
- Where
- Pluto
- Why
- To capture detailed images of Pluto’s surface
- Photo Title
- Closer Look: Majestic Mountains and Frozen Plains
- Capture Date
- July 14, 2015
- Capture Method
- NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft
- Views on X
- 18 million
- Distance from Earth
- 5.4365 billion km
- Mountain Height
- Up to 11,000 feet (3,500 meters)
- Atmosphere Composition
- Nitrogen, methane, carbon monoxide
- Temperature Range
- -226 to -240 degrees Celsius