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The fact that this is the clearest image we have of Pluto reminds me how little we really know about our own solar system, and how much more is out there to be
by JamesMcMinn 11y ago
The fact that this is the clearest image we have of Pluto reminds me how little we really know about our own solar system, and how much more is out there to be discovered.
- lsaferite 11y agoCurrently. He was indicating that they would be receiving higher resolution images over the next 6 days unless I misunderstood him.
- dredmorbius 11y agoNew Horizons will be _capturing_ higher-res images over the next several days. Bitrates are such that it will take ~1 year for the data to be transmitted to Earth. Though I suspect some cherry shots will be among those prioritised for early transmission.
- jperras 11y agoOn a stellar scale Pluto might be right next to Earth, but it still 5 light-hours away, meaning roundtrip communication times from probes takes 10 hours. On a human scale that's really, really, really far away. So it's not too surprising that we know very little about the tiny dwarf planet at the edge of our solar system.
- jccooper 11y agoWhat's a bit more disappointing is how little we know about the "ice giants". Both Uranus and Neptune have been visited only by Voyager 2.
- MrZongle2 11y agoAnd between them they have over 40 moons; some likely unremarkable rocks but others with observed or theorized geological activity, trace atmospheres, and unusual orbits and who knows what else.
- prewett 11y agoI keep hoping for a Cassini-like mission to Uranus and/or Neptune, but so far, no luck.
- jessriedel 11y agoNeptune is about 3 times further away than Saturn, and I believe Jupiter won't be in position for a good gravitational boost to get there for many decades. It's possible, but very very expensive.