Five New Neptunian moons

cyclop writes "It's a new time of discoveries in the Solar System. Just when Cassini discovered two news moons on Saturn, old Earth-based astronomy strikes back by revealing five small bodies around Neptune. The faint moons seem to have eccentric and inclined orbits, and to have been captured by Neptune."

Comments

From an astronomer

[Pi_0's don't shower]

Ground based astronomy isn't as sexy as space based astronomy, but has one big advantage -- light gathering power. We can build 8-meter (SUBARU and GEMINI), 10-meter (KECK), and in the near future 30 to 50-meter telescopes. The JWST, by comparison, is only 6.5 meters, and that's still 7 years away (at least). It's expensive to get telescopes into orbit, first off, and to send a probe up, well, you only get one look at the system with that! Additionally, launching anything drives the cost up by tens of millions of dollars. Ground based telescopes are easier to service, last virtually forever, and only have the disadvantage of having the atmosphere to fight with. Adaptive optics, and camera technology have significantly advanced in recent years, so that ground based telescopes with adaptive optics have huge advantages over those without it. They haven't caught the space telescopes yet, but the gap is closing. I'm a huge advocate of hubble, chandra and other space-based missions, but what can be accomplished on the ground (such as this) should NOT be overlooked!

Re:From an astronomer

[ToshiroOC]

Inflatable optics are a huge new field opening up - the idea is you either send up an optical-quality film that you can stretch out into a nice, HUGE, easily-altered-for-adaptive-optics mirror, or alternatively construct one in space (so you don't have to ruggedize it for the high-G-force ride into orbit). Look at BAA03-24 for a quick glance at what the most recent round of funding was aimed at.

Re:Is it worth it?

[cyclop]

I just hate that kind of reasoning.

Money spent on science is not wasted. And the less practical is the science, the more I'm sure that money is not wasted.

I work in science (molecular biology), and I don't do it to help people (although I love if my research can help,of course). I do it primarily because I want to understand the Universe. I do it primarily because I think one of the most important, amazing and noble things humankind can do is trying to understand the universe we have the luck to live within. It is at least as noble as helping the poorest. If not noblest, because we will all die (poor or not poor). But knowledge will last.

Re:Is it worth it?

[shobadobs]

So what exactly do you do to help the world's hungry?

Re:Mission to Neptune

[Dark Lord Seth]

There are rumors out there of a planet that consists for 70% out of water. It's crust is broken up, creating a geologically interesting system. Due to a high-density atmosphere, it has severe variations in temperature... The farther away from the equater, the colder it becomes. However, the same atmosphere retains heat and causes the dark side of the planet to remain nearly the same temperature. The largest bodies of water on the planet are alive, with massive slow moving currents miles underneath the surface and magnetic activity in the atmosphere causese electrical discharges more powerful then mankind has ever been able to create. The core of this planet is made up out of molten metals and projects a gigantic magnetic field around the planet... Etcetera.

Of course, I'm talking about Terra. Sol 3. Our Earth. Just a friendly reminder that practically ANY planet is, in it's own way, amazing. :)