Pluto and Charon Color Light Curves from New Horizons on Approach

On approach to the Pluto system, New Horizons’ Ralph Instrument’s Multicolor Visible Imaging Camera (MVIC) observed Pluto and Charon, spatially separated, between April 9 and June 23, 2015. In this period, Pluto and Charon were observed to transition from unresolved objects to resolved and their integrated disk intensities were measured in four MVIC filters: blue (400-550 nm), red (540-700 nm), near-infrared (780-975 nm), and methane (860-910 nm). The measurement suite sampled the bodies over all longitudes. We will present the color rotational light curves for Pluto and Charon and compare them to previous (Buie, M. et al. 2010 AJ 139, 1117; Buratti, B.J. et al 2015 ApJ 804, L6) and concurrent ground-based BVR monitoring. We will also compare these data to color images of the encounter hemisphere taken during New Horizons’ July 14, 2015 Pluto and Charon flyby, as this data set provides a unique bridge between Pluto & Charon as viewed as astronomical targets versus the complex worlds that early data from New Horizons has revealed them to be. This work was supported by NASA’s New Horizons project.