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New Horizons, Only 100 days from Pluto.

Laurie61

By Laurie61
in The Astro Lounge

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Laurie61

Laurie61

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Pluto’s bright, mysterious “heart” is rotating into view, ready for its close-up on close approach, in this image taken by New Horizons on July 12 from a distance of 1.6 million miles (2.5 million kilometers). It is the target of the highest-resolution images that will be taken during the spacecraft’s closest approach to Pluto on July 14. The intriguing “bulls-eye” feature at right is rotating out of view, and will not be seen in greater detail. 

post-30467-0-98756000-1436821573_thumb.p

http://pluto.jhuapl.edu/Multimedia/Science-Photos/image.php?gallery_id=2&image_id=222

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DRT

DRT

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Pluto’s bright, mysterious “heart” is rotating into view, ready for its close-up on close approach, in this image taken by New Horizons on July 12 from a distance of 1.6 million miles (2.5 million kilometers). It is the target of the highest-resolution images that will be taken during the spacecraft’s closest approach to Pluto on July 14. The intriguing “bulls-eye” feature at right is rotating out of view, and will not be seen in greater detail. 

attachicon.gif7-13-15_Pluto_image_NASA-JHUAPL-SWRI.png

http://pluto.jhuapl.edu/Multimedia/Science-Photos/image.php?gallery_id=2&image_id=222

I was slightly disappointed when I read yesterday that the heart would be the facing side at close approach given the fractured features we have been seeing on the other side. But this latest picture reveals more of those big dark features around the equator at the bottom of the heart. It will be very interesting to hear the theories about why the equator of a planet (note small "p") should have so many of these fractured regions. I can't think of any other object we have visited that showed similar features.

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RLWP

RLWP

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I was slightly disappointed when I read yesterday that the heart would be the facing side at close approach given the fractured features we have been seeing on the other side. But this latest picture reveals more of those big dark features around the equator at the bottom of the heart. It will be very interesting to hear the theories about why the equator of a planet (note small "p") should have so many of these fractured regions. I can't think of any other object we have visited that showed similar features.

Doesn't one of the icy moons have a fractured Equatorial region because of gravitational forces

Richard

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DRT

DRT

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Doesn't one of the icy moons have a fractured Equatorial region because of gravitational forces

Richard

Do you mean one of the Jupiter or Saturn moons? If so I can't imagine this being the same phenomena unless Pluto was once close to an enormous gravitational force. Charon just couldn't have that amount of "pull".

My very uninformed guess is that Pluto might be the way it is because it was once smashed to pieces (like Earth when the ejected matter that formed the Moon was) but it was just not massive enough to pull itself back into a near perfect sphere. Are these features impact craters, the result of geological activity or the scars of a massive collision? I really do hope someone can tell us the answer :smile:

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Laurie61

Laurie61

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I have been keeping an eye on the news this morning, there was a piece on breakfast bbc news but no indication it will be covered live by anybody today.  :sad: Looks like its NASA TV to follow things, hope the servers cope  :smiley:

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Knight of Clear Skies

Knight of Clear Skies

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The probe won't be communicating until it has made the flyby. Not much point in broadcasting the flyby if no data are being received

Yes, I believe it's programmed to contact Earth just after midnight tonight when the flyby is complete, but it will be a while after that before the first pictures come in. Hopefully there will be some images when we wake up on Wednesday morning.

There is also another approach picture in the bag which I think will be released today.

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AllanJ

AllanJ

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NASA TV coverage Live Interview just now would be better if we could hear the questions and not just the answers from the spokesman!!!!  If they can get signals from Pluto, how come they can't work out how to connect his earpiece to the broadcast? :grin:

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