Infographic: New Horizons’ path to Pluto

After traveling 3 billion miles, New Horizons flew by Pluto at 30,800 mph, giving humanity its first detailed look at the dwarf planet and its large moon, Charon. The craft arrived at its destination, around 7,800 miles away from Pluto at its closest approach, around 4:49 a.m. Tuesday. A small batch of images is expected to be released Thursday or Friday.

Here's a look at how New Horizons got to Pluto and how it will study the distant planet.