New Horizons Mission to Pluto

[jmorgan]

Gas giants hoovering up again.

[Eric Mc]

Most likely.

As I'm sure you know, Neptune does drift out beyond the orbit of Pluto for part of its journey around the sun. Perhaps Triton was a Kuiper Belt Object (KBO) in a similar type of orbit to Pluto, passed too close to Neptune at some point and ended up being captured by the planet.

[qube_TA]

Pluto mapped in the 1950's?

https://twitter.com/plutotoday/status/618917070915...

[Eric Mc]

The best before New Horizons -



Courtesy of the Hubble Space Telescope

[Eric Mc]

ash73 said:

Those images look heavily processed Eric, with blurred features and a very definite boundary?

The Hubble images?

They probably are enhanced to try and bring out the differences between the colourings. It's the best they were able to do at the time. New Horizons will change our views on Pluto - again.

[Eric Mc]

ash73 said:

jmorgan said:

Tantalising.

Fantastic, looks more interesting than Ceres.

KBOs definitely are interesting objects.

[scubadude]

Eric Mc said:

The Hubble images?

They probably are enhanced to try and bring out the differences between the colourings. It's the best they were able to do at the time. New Horizons will change our views on Pluto - again.

I expect the Hubble imaging team are quietly Very proud of those images now we have something to check them against. Compare New Horizons finest above to the 150degree image- its spot on... ok its not as sharp but give Hubble its due, it is old and wearing corrective glasses!

[Eric Mc]

I agree. Some of the features hinted at in the Hubble shots are discernible in these new pictures.

[jmorgan]

Hey up.

http://pluto.jhuapl.edu/News-Center/News-Article.p...
http://pluto.jhuapl.edu/Multimedia/Science-Photos/...

They have found the thermonuclear missile that turned into a whale.


Credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Southwest Research Institute

[Eric Mc]

Charon looks very different to Pluto. I think the conclusion has to be that it formed elsewhere and ended up being captured.

These outer solar system objects are very interesting in that they exhibit strange and unique characteristics. I am sure the other KBOs will be equally interesting.

[Eric Mc]

I wouldn't think much to be honest - although some of the surface colourings and markings may have been deposited by atmospheric transfer - a bit like on Triton.

[Einion Yrth]

ash73 said:

they should re-instate Pluto as a planet.

I'm not so sure; really they should never have down-graded it in the first place. While there were reasons of history for it being a planet it could easily have existed as a planet somewhat anomalously, however many of the reasons for its reclassification as a dwarf planet remain valid enough and if we were to reinstate it as a planet we could end up with hundreds of the bloody things, which might become a tad unworkable. Imagine having to come up with a mnemonic for two or three dozen planets...

[Stinkfoot]

This is a fascinating mission. Cant wait for the closest approach pics in a couple of days time.

[p1stonhead]

So exciting all this. Can't wait for a the close pass shots!

[0000]

Eric Mc said:

The Apollos took three days to get to the moon.

What?! I heard on good authority that it takes four whole days to reach the moon!

[0000]

Do we know what sort of image quality we're going to get from the final pictures?

[jmorgan]

0000 said:

Do we know what sort of image quality we're going to get from the final pictures?

Need to know a few things, imaging devices, compression etc. That should be available on the web, then there will be post processing. when i say "need", they already know all that.

http://pluto.jhuapl.edu/Mission/Spacecraft/Payload...

Look out for press kits, they normally have a wealth of information.


As an interesting aside
http://eyes.nasa.gov/dsn/dsn.html

Edited by jmorgan on Saturday 11th July 22:24

Edited by jmorgan on Saturday 11th July 22:26

[jmorgan]

just found this
http://eyes.nasa.gov

Edited by jmorgan on Saturday 11th July 22:47

[jmorgan]

Giant squid out there is space

Credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Southwest Research Institute

From
http://pluto.jhuapl.edu/Multimedia/Science-Photos/...

So, oceans?

[FunkyNige]

jmorgan said:

just found this
http://eyes.nasa.gov

What a great little program, if you run the simulation of the flyby you can see just how busy all the different instruments are during the encounter then 30 minutes later it's just pointing back at Earth sending all the data home.