Finally, the New Horizons has taken its very first image of Pluto and released it Wednesday.

Astronomers said the photos are a big step forward in getting man's clearest-ever view of the distant dwarf planet.

New Horizons has spent nine years approaching Pluto, the only "planet" in our solar system that hasn't been visited by a spacecraft yet. It's going to be another 99 days until New Horizons sends back pictures of Pluto that are better than any The Hubble has ever taken, and another 60 days after that until the spacecraft actually gets to Pluto.

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The spacecraft was able to depict Pluto and Charon as two bright spots orbiting each other, but with more clarity than past views. The dwarf planet and its largest moon are tidally locked: They face each other, spinning around a common axis like ice dancers holding hands.

New Horizons captured the images over a week starting Jan. 25. It launched in January 2006, blasting away from Earth at more than 30,000 miles per hour, faster than any spacecraft before it. After being intermittently put into hibernation and awakened for mostly brief observations, it was reawakened for the last time in December as it began its final approach.

Scientists at the Hopkins lab will analyze the early images over the coming weeks and will consider making any small changes in the spacecraft's trajectory. They also will study the images further to see if they can learn more about how fast Pluto is rotating.

TagsPluto, New Horizons, dwarf planet, space exploration, solar system, planet, first image of Pluto