New Horizons: Pluto 1930 - 2015

[stev]

Not sure how much people is aware but today marked the moment in history when we finally saw Pluto for what it is:





Nasa's New Horizons spacecraft has made the first visit to Pluto, speeding past at 14km per second.
Earlier, the space agency released the most detailed picture yet as it hurtled towards the dwarf planet on Tuesday.
The probe was set to grab more images and other data as it passed just 12,500km from the little world at 11:50 GMT (12:50 BST).
The spacecraft is currently out of contact with Earth as it continues its observations.



More details all over the net. lol

[Duane 3NE 2NR]

don't think many of us can comprehend how far away Pluto is from Earth.

even the moon is much further away from the earth than most people think
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/ ... h-Moon.png

[stev]

1 Pluto Year = 248.59 Earth years

[Duane 3NE 2NR]

and Pluto takes 6 days and 9 hours to complete one rotation, so this is how long a day is on Pluto.

[Rainman]

and Pluto takes 6 days and 9 hours to complete one rotation, so this is how long a day is on Pluto.

How long does it take Uranus?

[tr1ad]

Sounds like how time passes in the friend zone

[stev]

After New Horizons passes Pluto on Tuesday, it’ll continue traveling the Kuiper Belt, possibly making contact with another, smaller Kuiper Belt object (KBO) in 2018 or 2019. Pluto is just the beginning.

[Les Bain]

Really exciting stuff. Just hope it doesn't find Planet X.

[Duane 3NE 2NR]

and Pluto takes 6 days and 9 hours to complete one rotation, so this is how long a day is on Pluto.

How long does it take Uranus?

84 years

Facts about Uranus:
In comparison Uranus is huge
While many men have seen Uranus, it is not visible with the naked eye, even at night.
Upon inspection one will find that Uranus is 4 times the diameter of earth.
Uranus is gaseous.

[abbow]

^^lolzz

[searchingone]

[MG Man]

[KM_2NR]

[MG Man]

Pluto has what, five satellites? And dances with Charon nonstop...can't be too lonely out there

[KM_2NR]

Your right , learned something new. Hail Hydra.

[stev]

[STORM1234]

uranus is gaseous

[noshownogo]

When you think about the distance covered, less than 10 years to get there seems like nothing.

[searchingone]

Views of Pluto Through the Years

[stev]

Just updating the thread...

NASA’s New Horizons Team Selects Potential Kuiper Belt Flyby Target

NASA has selected the potential next destination for the New Horizons mission to visit after its historic July 14 flyby of the Pluto system. The destination is a small Kuiper Belt object (KBO) known as 2014 MU69 that orbits nearly a billion miles beyond Pluto.

This remote KBO was one of two identified as potential destinations and the one recommended to NASA by the New Horizons team. Although NASA has selected 2014 MU69 as the target, as part of its normal review process the agency will conduct a detailed assessment before officially approving the mission extension to conduct additional science.

full article here:

http://www.nasa.gov/feature/nasa-s-new- ... yby-target



...also, below is a GIF showing just how fast the New Horizons craft is moving:

New Horizons current speed: ~36,000 mph as seen above

Voyager 1: ~38,610 mph

Helios 1: ~142,000 mph

Helios 2: ~157,078 mph

(speed of sound: ~761.2 mph)
(speed of light: ~670,616,629 mph)

[stev]

New Pluto Images from NASA’s New Horizons: It’s Complicated















The Icy Mountains of Pluto



details on images:

http://www.nasa.gov/feature/new-pluto-i ... omplicated