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Thread: Pluto

  1. #1

    Default Pluto

    Artists impressions prove horrifically inaccurate once again.

    The light that once I thought compassion still casting shadows in your action
    The words you shared were cold transactions that bring me to curse what you've done
    When you're up there absorbed in greatness with such success you've grown complacent
    I hope you scorch your many faces when you fly too close to the sun

  2. #2
    It's hard to believe that we sent a "space capsule" into the universe nearly ten years ago......and now we have pictures of/from a planet that's no longer considered part of our solar system!

    It blows my mind. I read something that made my head hurt even more --- this is like hitting a golf ball from the US east coast and making a hole-in-one on the west coast.

  3. #3
    It's still considered part of our solar system, it's just not considered to be a planet anymore!
    "Wer Visionen hat, sollte zum Arzt gehen." - Helmut Schmidt

  4. #4
    Quote Originally Posted by Steely Glint View Post
    Artists impressions prove horrifically inaccurate once again.
    Everything about Pluto is different from expectation. Both Pluto and its big moon Charon are apparently active bodies. There are very few craters suggesting they are either newish worlds or their surfaces are getting remade now or were in the recent past. There are also ice mountains and evidence of recent geyser activity on Pluto. All of this requires heat and there was no current theory as to where that heat is coming from. Given their size they should have lost the heat of formation a LONG time ago - unless they're new(ish). The icy moons of Jupiter and Saturn get heated internally from tidal force caused friction. But there's no big planet nearby to heat Pluto/ Charon. So either something else is going on or they're new. Pretty cool stuff, really. Beautiful worlds too. Big thumbs up!
    The Rules
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    Platinum - treat others the way they would like to be treated (the PC rule)

  5. #5
    I'm surprised to read it as a thin/collapsing nitrogen atmosphere. I guess not really surprising, but in my mind it had none.

  6. #6
    Quote Originally Posted by EyeKhan View Post
    But there's no big planet nearby to heat Pluto/ Charon. So either something else is going on or they're new. Pretty cool stuff, really. Beautiful worlds too. Big thumbs up!
    That's indeed interesting. Charon has a tidal lock with Pluto, that means their rotation around each other and their rotation around themselves are exactly the same. And also their rotations are an exact circle. That means that are indeed no large tidal forces to be expected.

    BTW the tidal locking and very circular motion is not really surprising. Our own moon is tidal locked as well (we always see the same side). And as Charon is a very large moon compared to Pluto it is not surprising that Pluto is locked to Charon as well. There are many that suggest that we should see Pluto - Charon as a double dwarf planet system instead of a dwarf planet with a big moon and some small ones. I would really like that, and my definition would be: If center point of the rotation is outside of the largest body, the system is considered a dual.
    "Wer Visionen hat, sollte zum Arzt gehen." - Helmut Schmidt

  7. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by GGT View Post
    It's hard to believe that we sent a "space capsule" into the universe nearly ten years ago......and now we have pictures of/from a planet that's no longer considered part of our solar system!

    It blows my mind. I read something that made my head hurt even more --- this is like hitting a golf ball from the US east coast and making a hole-in-one on the west coast.
    It is an achievement because politicians are not thinking about space.
    Also it is a far away place where no man has gone before.
    Freedom - When people learn to embrace criticism about politicians, since politicians are just employees like you and me.

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