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On 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
by jperras 11y ago
On 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.