We finally have a close-up image of Pluto

[Tink]

APOD: 2016 February 27 - Northern Pluto The image is too big to post

 

[detmatt]

I think I see pyramids.

 

[amazinblue82]

APOD: 2016 February 27 - Northern Pluto The image is too big to post

i worked on it for ya. Cool pic. i am always amazed -- this stuff is REALLY out there.

personally i had been waiting my whole like to see Pluto's surface. even tho they demoted it from a planet .

 

[commando1]

Fake. Done in a TV studio....

 

[barnfind]

Southern face is better this time of year

 

[67-Fury]

Can we get a pic of Uranus?

 

[The Horvaths]

Can we get a pic of Uranus?

Sure.

 

[Wollfen]

There is talk that they are looking for another planet outside of the orbit of Pluto now, they have been monitoring the deflection of orbits of our planets in the solar system and they have detected the gravitational pull of another object beyond Pluto, the search has begun.

 

[cm23uoc]

Can we get a pic of Uranus?

As Long as it's not mine.

 

[Tink]

There is talk that they are looking for another planet outside of the orbit of Pluto now, they have been monitoring the deflection of orbits of our planets in the solar system and they have detected the gravitational pull of another object beyond Pluto, the search has begun.

I too have read about that but have become doubtful. If it were there, I would think the Hubble would have spotted it by now. They demoted Pluto to what? It isn't a moon and it isn't an asteroid, so in my mind, since since it is a round object in orbit of the sun, its a planet.

 

[Wollfen]

I too have read about that but have become doubtful. If it were there, I would think the Hubble would have spotted it by now. They demoted Pluto to what? It isn't a moon and it isn't an asteroid, so in my mind, since since it is a round object in orbit of the sun, its a planet.

This is where it gets complicated, because the object is so far out and doesn't give off light like distant stars it is actually very difficult to see, the distance they are talking about is far beyond Pluto and as such isn't reflecting the suns light enough to be picked up under normal circumstances, I do remember the article speaking of other technical problems but I don't remember them.

 

[commando1]

And throwing millions and millions of dollars at all this benefits humanity how?
Now that we spent a gillion dollars to confirm that, yep, just we we suspected, it's a big rock, what is our ROI on that.
And please, dont give me any of that "spinoff technology" BS...

 

[patrick66]

 

[65 500]

That's just a picture of Canada in August !

 

[Yatzee]

APOD: 2016 February 27 - Northern Pluto The image is too big to post

The most fu&king expensive picture in man's exisstence. God help the poor, starving and unemployed while a select few piss money away by the bucketfuls to get a picture of a vacation place nobody wants to go to. Finally a highly focused image of our lack of values.

 

[amazinblue82]

This is where it gets complicated, because the object is so far out and doesn't give off light like distant stars it is actually very difficult to see, the distance they are talking about is far beyond Pluto and as such isn't reflecting the suns light enough to be picked up under normal circumstances, I do remember the article speaking of other technical problems but I don't remember them.

I too have read about that but have become doubtful. If it were there, I would think the Hubble would have spotted it by now. They demoted Pluto to what? It isn't a moon and it isn't an asteroid, so in my mind, since since it is a round object in orbit of the sun, its a planet.

Long story short, a group of astronomers met 8-10 years ago and decided WHAT a planet is (enough gravity to be round, goes around the sun, and clears its orbital path of every other object). Pluto fails the third criteria, so the group decided it was a Kuiper Belt object and viola now the solar system has EIGHT planets instead of the NINE when Tombaugh found Pluto in 1930.

 

[bulldogchesty]

We should be putting this money into studying the oceans instead of places no one will ever visit.

 

[65Fury440]

We have some un-f*cking to do to our own planet. Maybe direct some smart minds and a couple billion to the oceans.

 

[amazinblue82]

Hmm..this one has take a bit of a turn. Diversity of opinion is good though.

Tradeoffs. always tradeoffs to be made. Why did Apollo 18-20 get cancelled. Why haven't we been to Mars yet? Dozens of examples of spacestuff that didn't occur.

Why? Little/diminishing public appetite to do them. "People" (voters, Congress, Russia no longer competitive, the JFK effect fading with time after 1963, etc.) didn't think it was a good use of money. Lotta things "right here" that need work/money.

Yes, scientists' dreams exceed their their pocket books often. And as cool and even necessary as "knowing new stuff about space" is in my view, the tradeoff wasn't there in the end. Again, too many things right here on THIS ROCK that needed attention.

All that to say, there's always gonna be a "curiosity" about things OFF this planet that are gonna get funding. Beyond curiosity, there are good reasons in my view to continue to explore/understand the Universe.

However, fact is NASA's budget is 0.5% (0.005) of the Federal Budget -- the tradeoffs have been made and NASA "lost" and been losing since the 1960s. What do we do with the other 99.5% -- everyone has a view and when the dust settles we have what we have.

Hypothetical question (simplistic, binary choice).

If you asked me do we spend $5 Billion for another aircraft carrier, OR do the James Webb telescope, I vote for the telescope every time.

IF you asked me do we do the James Webb, OR do we put the $5 Billion on pediatric cancer research, I vote eff' the Webb telescope and, while you're at it, eff' another aircraft carrier, and put $10 Billion on pediatric cancer AND Alzheimer's research.​

Going to Pluto, or landing on a comet, or figuring out where all the big-*** rocks that cross Earth orbit are, or whatever has to do with space, has already gone through the grist mill of decision-makers' tradeoffs. They made it through the "do this, or do that" process intact.

Given that decision and others was made in the PAST, I am still pleased we got a look at it and MORE that we learned on the trip to Pluto. I also COMPLETELY respect anyone's view that is similar OR contrary to mine.

We all get to make up our own minds about this stuff in a "free country" -- and that's the coolest thing of all.

 

[commando1]

Yet you have ½ the South going to their graves absolutely convinced the Earth is 6,000 years old and two people popped up out of nowhere...