New Horizons takes our first ever half-decent image of Pluto, prepares for flyby

[Velocet]

When will they take photos of Niburu?

[UncaringNonchala]

[QUOTE=Velocet;48164811]When will they take photos of Niburu?[/QUOTE]

Why worry about putting a ton of money into that when we can just wait and take a picture of it with cheap Kodaks right before it smashes into us.

[Nebukadnezzer]

would the techniques used to create the hubble deep field not work for getting a high res photo of pluto from earth?

[Nurdock]

[QUOTE=Nebukadnezzer;48164974]would the techniques used to create the hubble deep field not work for getting a high res photo of pluto from earth?[/QUOTE]

Pluto's too close and small for Hubble to take a good photo of it. Think about trying to take a picture of a grain of sand on an unfocused camera and you get the idea of what it's like.

[Andre Gomes]

Looks fucking amazing

[Kyle v2]

ffs my home is not a dwarf planet it's a fucking planetoid.

[CoolCorky]

[QUOTE=Nebukadnezzer;48164974]would the techniques used to create the hubble deep field not work for getting a high res photo of pluto from earth?[/QUOTE]

Hubble has in fact taken a few pictures of Pluto in the past, this is what it got:
[img]http://imgsrc.hubblesite.org/hu/db/images/hs-2009-18-n-large_web.jpg[/img]

[cardfan212]

Fun fact: Clyde Tombaugh, discoverer of Pluto, was born in my hometown. We've been having a bunch of celebrations and festivals here in preparation for the flyby.

[swebonny]

[IMG]https://scontent-vie1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xfp1/v/t1.0-9/p720x720/11695475_10153117916412901_3209235731244296721_n.jpg?oh=813c80ec953fbc8d1b37ecf7313e3e1a&oe=56268699[/IMG]

Someone in an astronomy group on FB stacked the NASA photos and got this as the result

[Paul-Simon]

[QUOTE=Zambies!;48164644]Morty I-I-I just don't think you've seen the show Morty you gotta, you gotta watch it.[/QUOTE]

What does this have to do with Rick and Morty?
I mean sure they mention Pluto in one episode and argue about it, but so has the rest of the world ever since the classification change. :v:

[Oast]

[IMG]https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/styles/full_width/public/thumbnails/image/mh-07-10-15_puto_image_annotated.jpg?itok=I9S37lI5[/IMG]
[IMG]https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/styles/full_width/public/thumbnails/image/nh-michael_soluri_team_7-10-15.jpg?itok=cyq1K4uJ[/IMG]

[editline]10th July 2015[/editline]

[url]https://www.nasa.gov/feature/new-image-of-pluto-houston-we-have-geology[/url]

[CMX]

[QUOTE=Darth_Toast;48169751][IMG]https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/styles/full_width/public/thumbnails/image/mh-07-10-15_puto_image_annotated.jpg?itok=I9S37lI5[/IMG]
[IMG]https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/styles/full_width/public/thumbnails/image/nh-michael_soluri_team_7-10-15.jpg?itok=cyq1K4uJ[/IMG]

[editline]10th July 2015[/editline]

[url]https://www.nasa.gov/feature/new-image-of-pluto-houston-we-have-geology[/url][/QUOTE]

Polygonal feature? Alien city obviously.

[TheTalon]

And to think, Pluto has an atmosphere capable of clouds and weather. And it's as small as the USA

[Headhumpy]

Reading about New Horizons prompted me to look up interstellar probes. Apparently there were proposals to send probes to up to 1000AU within a human lifetime (that's more than 7 times as far as Voyager 1 is as of 2015). There were even concepts that used nuclear pulse propulsion to reach Alpha Centauri and Barnard's Star within a hundred years (Project Longshot and Project Daedalus).

I sincerely hope to see these funded and launched within my lifetime, even better if they beamed back images before I died. Just imagine, seeing images taken from another star entirely. If that doesn't inspire humanity I don't know what will.

[Pelf]

[QUOTE=arleitiss;48164692]Why are images so shit?
I mean what's the problem with taking HD photo?
Is it technology that was limited in 2006?
Is it the electricity charge on NH not enough to send large data to earth?
Is it taking took long to send large images to earth?[/QUOTE]

- Because it's 2 million miles from pluto still (at the time of this post)
- The LORRI camera takes 1024x1024 images and will have a peak resolution of 50 meters per pixel at clostest approach
- New Horizons was launched in 2006 and the instruments were built earlier than that
- It has ~200 watts 30V DC.
- NH uses X-band systems. From nasa's site on NH:
[QUOTE]Data rates depend on spacecraft distance, the power used to send the data and the size of the antenna on the ground. For most of the mission, New Horizons has used its high-gain antenna to exchange data with the Deep Space Network’s largest antennas, 70 meters across. Even at Pluto, because New Horizons will be more than 3 billion miles from Earth and radio signals will take more than four hours to reach the spacecraft, it can send information at about 1,000 bits per second. It will take 16 months to send the full set of Pluto encounter science data back to Earth.[/QUOTE]

[BCell]

Maybe Pluto is empty like the moon?

[ScriptKitt3h]

[QUOTE=Headhumpy;48176250]Reading about New Horizons prompted me to look up interstellar probes. Apparently there were proposals to send probes to up to 1000AU within a human lifetime (that's more than 7 times as far as Voyager 1 is as of 2015). There were even concepts that used nuclear pulse propulsion to reach Alpha Centauri and Barnard's Star within a hundred years (Project Longshot and Project Daedalus).

I sincerely hope to see these funded and launched within my lifetime, even better if they beamed back images before I died. Just imagine, seeing images taken from another star entirely. If that doesn't inspire humanity I don't know what will.[/QUOTE]

While it'd be wonderful to go interestellar, launching any sort of device involving unshielded/contained thermonuclear explosions is kinda a big deal right now. :P However, it'd be neat if some day Pluto could serve as a sort of "final stop" on the way out of the system.

[PsychedelicLiz]

[QUOTE=Swebonny;48165322][IMG]https://scontent-vie1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xfp1/v/t1.0-9/p720x720/11695475_10153117916412901_3209235731244296721_n.jpg?oh=813c80ec953fbc8d1b37ecf7313e3e1a&oe=56268699[/IMG]

Someone in an astronomy group on FB stacked the NASA photos and got this as the result[/QUOTE]

Does Pluto have fucking clouds? sweet, always thought it was a rock like Mercury.

[Amber902]

[QUOTE=Megadave;48186972]Does Pluto have fucking clouds? sweet, always thought it was a rock like Mercury.[/QUOTE]

If the moon can't hold on atmosphere what makes you think something less then half the size of the moon is going to have clouds.

[Scot]

[QUOTE=Headhumpy;48176250]Reading about New Horizons prompted me to look up interstellar probes. Apparently there were proposals to send probes to up to 1000AU within a human lifetime (that's more than 7 times as far as Voyager 1 is as of 2015). There were even concepts that used nuclear pulse propulsion to reach Alpha Centauri and Barnard's Star within a hundred years (Project Longshot and Project Daedalus).

I sincerely hope to see these funded and launched within my lifetime, even better if they beamed back images before I died. Just imagine, seeing images taken from another star entirely. If that doesn't inspire humanity I don't know what will.[/QUOTE]

oh man future space agencies are gonna send out some cool probes that I'm never gonna see the results of

just like the guy who launched new horizons

[PsychedelicLiz]

[QUOTE=Kyle902;48187008]If the moon can't hold on atmosphere what makes you think something less then half the size of the moon is going to have clouds.[/QUOTE]

Because those things look like clouds

[Pilotguy]

[QUOTE=Megadave;48187186]Because those things look like clouds[/QUOTE]

I think those are just the mountain peaks reflecting more light than the plateaus.

[Killer900]

[QUOTE=Megadave;48187186]Because those things look like clouds[/QUOTE]or it could just be the way the terrain is shaped, either way we'll know very soon

[LooperNor]

It's know pretty conclusively that Pluto has a [I]very[/I] thin atmosphere. Approx a million times thinner than on Earth in terms of pressure.

Still, that is actually (quite a bit) more than the moon.

[url]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atmosphere_of_Pluto[/url]

I'm pretty sure it does not have clouds though.

[Tamschi]

[QUOTE=LarparNar;48187430]It's know pretty conclusively that Pluto has a [I]very[/I] thin atmosphere. Approx a million times thinner than on Earth in terms of pressure.

Still, that is actually (quite a bit) more than the moon.

[url]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atmosphere_of_Pluto[/url]

I'm pretty sure it does not have clouds though.[/QUOTE]

It makes sense, since the Moon is hit by a lot of sunlight that lifts its atmosphere off into space.

[LooperNor]

[QUOTE=Tamschi;48187536]It makes sense, since the Moon is hit by a lot of sunlight that lifts its atmosphere off into space.[/QUOTE]

Exactly this. Plutos atmosphere actually varies significantly along with its distance from the sun.

[E Quantifier]

[QUOTE=Pilotguy97;48163054]Pluto's not even the size of the Continental United States.

[t]https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/17/United_States_with_Pluto_%26_Charon_(white_background)_with_loseless_image.png[/t]

Left is Pluto, right is its moon, Charon.[/QUOTE]

I'm not sure how fair a comparison this is. It's comparing the area of a two dimensional area to those of 3D objects. The actual surface area of Pluto and Charon should be significantly larger no?

Area of the Continental US: 8,080,464.3 km^2
Surface area of Pluto: 16,650,000 km^2 (1.665×10^7 km^2)

Actually comes out to a little over twice the area.

Area of the Continental US: 8,080,464.3 km^2
Surface area of Charon: 4,580,000 hm^2 (4.58×10^6 km^2)

And Charon is a little over half the area.

All values from Wikipedia,
[url]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contiguous_United_States[/url]
[url]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charon_(moon)[/url]
[url]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pluto[/url]

[Pilotguy]

[QUOTE=Cows Rule;48187644]I'm not sure how fair a comparison this is. It's comparing the area of a two dimensional area to those of 3D objects. The actual surface area of Pluto and Charon should be significantly larger no?

Area of the Continental US: 8,080,464.3 km^2
Surface area of Pluto: 16,650,000 km^2 (1.665×10^7 km^2)

Actually comes out to a little over twice the area.

Area of the Continental US: 8,080,464.3 km^2
Surface area of Charon: 4,580,000 hm^2 (4.58×10^6 km^2)

And Charon is a little over half the area.

All values from Wikipedia,
[URL]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contiguous_United_States[/URL]
[URL]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charon_(moon)[/URL]
[URL]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pluto[/URL][/QUOTE]

When you're talking surface area, it's naturally bigger. It's just that most people mean the raw diameter when they talk about the "size" of Pluto.

[EcksDee]

[QUOTE=Cows Rule;48187644]I'm not sure how fair a comparison this is. It's comparing the area of a two dimensional area to those of 3D objects. The actual surface area of Pluto and Charon should be significantly larger no?

Area of the Continental US: 8,080,464.3 km^2
Surface area of Pluto: 16,650,000 km^2 (1.665×10^7 km^2)

Actually comes out to a little over twice the area.

Area of the Continental US: 8,080,464.3 km^2
Surface area of Charon: 4,580,000 hm^2 (4.58×10^6 km^2)

And Charon is a little over half the area.

All values from Wikipedia,
[url]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contiguous_United_States[/url]
[url]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charon_(moon)[/url]
[url]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pluto[/url][/QUOTE]

Fine.

Russia is 400 000 km^2 larger than Pluto.

[E Quantifier]

[QUOTE=Pilotguy97;48187743]When you're talking surface area, it's naturally bigger. It's just that most people mean the raw diameter when they talk about the "size" of Pluto.[/QUOTE]

I know, but it kinda irked me though that the image was comparing diameter to area because they aren't the same. They're related, but not the same.