Astronomers Reveal Best-Ever Images Of The Far Side Of Pluto

Forbes ^ | October 22, 2019 | Jonathan O'Callaghan

[DoodleBob]

A team of astronomers from NASA’s New Horizons mission has unveiled our best look yet at the far side of Pluto, which went unseen to the spacecraft during its historic July 2015 flyby of the dwarf planet.

We have only seen one hemisphere of Pluto in high-resolution because the New Horizons flyby of Pluto lasted just hours, whereas the dwarf planet takes 6.4 Earth days to rotate. Thus as New Horizons flew past, one side of the world was illuminated by the Sun, but the other was shrouded in darkness.

However, using images taken by the spacecraft while it was on approach up to a distance of six million kilometers away, the team was able to use image processing tools to reveal Pluto’s hidden hemisphere. The final resolution is 100 times better than the Earth-orbiting Hubble telescope, which had previously provided our best views of this hemisphere.

[DocRock]

Pink Floyd? Wrong band. Dr. Brian May, lead guitarist for Queen, is one of the scientists of the New Horizon Project, and he did release his first new song in over 20 years after the fly-by. Music Video

[Jamestown1630]

https://www.amazon.com/How-Killed-Pluto-Why-Coming-ebook/dp/B003F3FJTG

[Who is John Galt?]

The preamble talks about providing for the common defence. How can we defend ourselves against a possible attack from Pluto if we don't explore the place?

Obviously, you're speaking in jest - but it reminds me of one of my favorite quotes:

"...[W]hether the phrases in question be construed to authorize every measure relating to the common defence and general welfare, as contended by some; or every measure only in which there might be an application of money, as suggested by the caution of others; the effect must substantially be the same, in destroying the import and force of the particular enumeration of powers which follow these general phrases in the Constitution. For it is evident that there is not a single power whatever, which may not have some reference to the common defence, or the general welfare; nor a power of any magnitude, which, in its exercise, does not involve or admit an application of money."
James Madison, 1799

;^)

[Adder]

It’s not Ur’s...it’s Pluto’s.

[pulaskibush]

We need to put SUVs onto Pluto so we can heat it up with Climate change!

Pluto is a planet with a moon that orbits the sun. It still has a name of a Roman god like the other planets.

MPAPA: Make Pluto A Planet Again!

[BuffaloJack]

Pierre Delecto is not that far from Carlos Danger.

[MomwithHope]

Nice! I am looking at our beautiful colorful view right now. Fall colors. Thinking the same thing.

[Pride in the USA]

So fascinating!

[Telepathic Intruder]

"it’s the last gas station on the way to the stars"

Hardly. It's only the farthest one you're currently aware of. Pluto is the closest KBO to the sun, and the first discovered, but by no means the farthest out. There are others that are many times farther. And the Oort cloud is supposed to extend almost halfway to the nearest star. The Solar System inside the orbit of Pluto is really just a very small part of it, but probably the most significant since it contains the biggest objects (that we know about).

[married21]

Thanks for that clarification.

[Verginius Rufus]

Actually Pluto has 5 known moons: Charon, Nix, Hydra, Kerberos and Styx.

Other "Kuiper Belt Objects" are also known to have moons: Haumea (with 2), Makemake (with 1), Eris (with 1) and "2007 OR10" (with 1).

[Verginius Rufus]

What’s the fun of quoting unless you quote out of context?

[kosciusko51]

Sorry, my sarcasm detector wasn’t working earlier today...

[MarvinStinson]

“It is unlike a planet in every way except being round.”

The above is an irrational and WRONG statement.

One of three basic characteristics of a planet is that it revolves around the sun.

Sounds to me like you harbor some personal animosity toward Pluto.

[Telepathic Intruder]

Alright then, every way except two. My long feud with Pluto isn’t over, though. After it stood me up on a date, I have refused to call it a planet. Then it ran over my dog.

[MarvinStinson]

I suspected as much.

[newfreep]

It’s not Ur’s...

I like this (Lambo) Urus...

[Diana in Wisconsin]

[Vermont Lt]

“...that we know about.”

Well, isn’t that the whole idea behind exploration?

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Buy or borrow the book, ‘Knit The Sky’ by Lea Redmond. So many fun color-scheme projects in there! :) One is a Wax/Wane phases of the Moon done in two colors. It’s a cowl and you move your cowl around to match the current phase of the Moon when you wear it.

Then I guess you make some herbal tea and stab your Voodoo Doll or something. *SMIRK*

Some days it’s really hard being a Conservative and still liking a lot of hippy-dippy stuff. ;)