New Horizons To Pluto

Is that pix showing an atmosphere, or is it an illusion?

 

Atmospheric components
The dominating gas in Pluto's atmosphere is nitrogen. Carbon monoxide and methane are also present.
Pluto is so far away that studying anything about it is a challenge. To confirm that the dwarf planet did indeed have an atmosphere, astronomers studied it as it passed in front of bright stars over the course of its orbit. They noticed that the stars dimmed before Pluto itself moved across it, as the atmosphere of Pluto slowly blocked their light. The experiment was repeated with several stars, allowing astronomers to understand more about the air on Pluto.

 

" HOO-RAAH!" Who else would question the pictorial evidence?

 

Just two more weeks! What is everyone going to do at the time of the Flyby?

 

I'm eagerly anticipating answers to my questions!

 

New Horizons has stopped communicating with NASA. They had to turn off the scientific instruments to reestablish comms. The mission may be in jeopardy! I hope they are able to fix the problem. It would be a shame if it came that far to fail.

 

Good news. They were able to fix the problem, it was just a small glitch so everything is back on schedule.

 

Excellent! this mission is the most exciting thing in my lifetime!

 

Just one more week! Has anyone seen the new map of Pluto? It is cool.

 

I go to sleep at night listening to astronomy youtube videos. i love that stuff.

 

In just five days, we Earthlings will see Pluto up close for the first time — and you can watch it live. In fact, start watching NASA TV now. There's already much to see and learn.
On July 14 at 7:49 a.m. ET, the New Horizons probe will be just 7800 miles above Pluto. That's less than the distance between New York City and Hong Kong. It traveled for nine years and 3 billion miles to get this close.
Today, July 9, the probe is about 3.5 million miles from Pluto. Already we're seeing better images of the ice-covered, atmosphere-evaporating dwarf planet than we've ever seen before.
The public has always had an intense affection for Pluto; consider the surprisingly emotional outcry when it was reclassified as a dwarf planet by the International Astronomical Union in 2006. Is Pluto finally returning our love? The photo above, taken July 7 by the probe's Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI), appears to show a giant heart at the lower right.
We're kidding, but the "heart" is notable because it's one of several planetary features that scientists at Johns Hopkins University's Applied Physics Laboratory, which is operating the New Horizons mission for NASA, are seeing for the first time—and giving nicknames to while awaiting more precise data. (They've also identified a "whale" and a "donut.")
These images are only going to get better — 500 times better, in fact. As the probe closes in on Pluto and its moons (most notably Charon), some images will have 500 times higher resolution. No more "little pixelated blobs seen from 3 billion miles away, but real worlds, with complexity and diversity, high definition and in color," enthuses New Horizons project scientist Hal Weaver in the July 8 daily mission update — €”and who is downright giddy with excitement. (We at mental_floss are right there with you, Dr. Weaver.)
Beyond images, the mission aims to collect data on the surface chemical compositions of both Pluto and Charon by taking 64,000 "footprints" of each body. The probe will also gather data on Pluto's atmosphere, temperature, and pressure, which change depending on its proximity to the sun during its 248-Earth-year orbit.
So here's what's happening over the next few days as New Horizons makes its final approach. Scientists will take optical navigation data to make sure the probe is on the right trajectory to hit the optimal position, time, and lighting conditions to secure the best data from the flyby. Through July 13, you can check in daily at 11:30 a.m. ET on NASA TV for updates, images, and live briefings.
On July 14, the channel will broadcast a live countdown beginning at 7:30 a.m. to the moment of closest approach at 7:49 a.m. For much of the day, New Horizons will be out of communication with mission control as it gathers data about Pluto and its moons.
The next day, the real fun begins as scientists begin to study the data — and NASA releases more images to the public.
In the meantime, you can find your "Pluto Time" twice a day, no matter where you are on Earth. (As NASA puts it: "It's always Pluto time somewhere.") At dawn and dusk, there's a moment when the light on Earth is similar to Pluto at noon. People are sharing their images on Twitter and Instagram.
Check back with mental_floss for updates both before and after July 14. We expect to see some fantastic sights in the next couple of weeks — and beyond. After its Pluto flyby, New Horizons is headed for the Kuiper Belt, a gigantic zone of icy bodies and mysterious small objects orbiting beyond Neptune.

 

Today New Horizon passed Pluto. One of the greatest thing to happen in a generation. It shows what can be done when people put their minds to it.

 

It's not just me, is it

 

Mountains on Pluto One of the first images returned to Earth after New Horizons’ Pluto flyby shows a small portion of the dwarf planet’s surface. Ice mountains up to 11,000 feet high — comparable to the height of the Rockies — cast shadows across a relatively smooth plain. The lack of craters indicates that the surface is quite young, no more than 100 million years old. This photo was taken early on Tuesday morning and shows an area just under the bright heart shape on Pluto’s surface.

 

A new image of Charon, Pluto’s largest moon. The moon has a dark patch, informally called Mordor, at its north pole.

 

I never dumped Pluto. If the "Science" of climate change is settled, than so is the "Science" that I learned in grade school. Pluto is a planet.

i h s

 

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It is fantastic !

Everyone probably has seen it all by now, but here are the latest processed images :

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/newhorizons/images/index.html

And for fun, here is a really neat article :

http://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkai...ft-is-running-on-an-original-playstation-cpu/

Yep, a PlayStation CPU !

As far as Pluto being a planet - of course it is. I think that we should have a 'Classic Nine' classification, just as we do for the 'Naked-Eye Five' (Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn).

Jamie

 

Did anyone notice that Bill Nye was in the crowd during the count down?