Video: Pluto scientist’s biggest surprise so far

The International Astronomical Union has approved a second set of names for features on the surface of Pluto.

Dwarf planet Pluto will receive its first robotic emissary from Earth in the form of NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft on 14 July. Since this enigmatic world is also at opposition on 6 July, here’s our guide to finding Pluto with large backyard telescopes.

A crescent Pluto stars in pictures captured just after NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft’s July flyby of the distant dwarf planet, exposing eerie backlit fog banks and glacial flows that scientists say hint at an Earth-like weather cycle.