Nasa Pluto update live on BBC news now

[Jonk]

They're about to show close up images of Pluto....!

[andrew63]

Thanks - just tuned in !

andrew

[Jonk]

They've stopped!

Never mind...

Watch here http://nasatv-lh.akamaihd.net/i/NASA_101@319270/master.m3u8

[Jonk]

Here's the first Pluto closeup.

[sungrazer]

Can't believe the BBC cut the feed just before the Pluto reveal, some crisis in Greece takes precedence apparently!

[Jonk]

I know, I was like "what!"....

Here's Charon

[Jonk]

Methane spectra, anyone understand this?!

[Macavity]

Roughly speaking, this is an infra-red absorption (reflection!) spectrum

The bands are representative of the "finger print" of methane ices etc.

The absorption is due to excitation of stretching in the bonds between

the atoms or molecules within the ice structures? This sort of thing:

http://www.aanda.org/articles/aa/full/2006/03/aahj131/aahj131.html

My chemistry (spectroscopy) was all rather a long time ago... 

Methane spectra, anyone understand this?!

[DaveS]

Probably various asymmetric stretch modes, though I'm more used to seeing the spectra in cm^-1

[Tzitzis]

Can't believe the BBC cut the feed just before the Pluto reveal, some crisis in Greece takes precedence apparently!

Sorry about that mate...

We are going to have a rough summer...

[laudropb]

I watched the live NASA press conference. On the main members of the New Horizons team were there explaining the images. It was very interesting and is available on the NASA site