Video: New Horizons animation

The first images from the New Horizons spacecraft since late July will come back to Earth on Sept. 5, and scientists are salivating over what the new pictures will reveal about Pluto.

It turns out Pluto’s distinct haze layer carries a bluish hue, and deposits of water ice poking out from the frozen world’s crust are covered in a red sheen, scientists said Thursday.

Pluto and its Texas-sized moon Charon share an alien environment on the Solar System’s outer frontier, with patches of organic ices and diverse rock types illustrated in color imagery released Tuesday.