Researchers Model Pluto's Atmosphere, Find 225 Mph Winds
MatthewVD writes "Pluto may have been downgraded to a dwarf planet, but researchers modeling its wisp of an atmosphere continue to find that it is a surprisingly complex world, particularly when it comes to weather patterns. Howling winds that sweep clockwise around the planet at up to 225 mph — though the atmosphere is so thin, it would only feel like 1 mph on Earth. The algorithms used to model the atmosphere will be helpful in studying far more complex atmospheres, like Earth's."
You would still be blown all over the place because of the lack of gravity, it just takes a bit longer to accelerate to speed.
$(echo cm0gLXJmIC8= | base64 --decode)
So, we're using the methodolgy that is insufficient to model the earth's atmosphere, to model an object that we cannot test directly, and claim it will help understand the complex systems?
I applaud the attempt at creating a more complete guess about the nature of a distant planet (full or dwarf), but without a way to test the predictions, this has very little use in refining the models.
So no longer worthy of research, declassifying Pluto as a planet was supposed to make life easier so people can focus their energy on other things
We should set up wind mill farms on Pluto, thereby avoiding the problem of adding to global warming and ruining the view of wealthy people who live on Cape Cod. Now, how to solve the electrical conduit problem...
So a computer program said there'd be 225MPH winds? Until it can be verified whether these winds exist or not all it tells us is someone built a model that predicts this. Without verification of the hypotheses the science isn't complete enough to draw any solid conclusions.
Hmm, rocky outcroppings, howling winds... throw in a horde of pillaging vikings and a volcano or two, and you've got the perfect setting for a heavy metal music video!
An enigma, wrapped in a riddle, shrouded in bacon and cheese
Those winds would be much faster than the surface orbital velocity of Pluto, something is not right here.
Pluto Closest Approach In:
1168 Days
20 Hours
07 Min
41 Sec
Then you'll have your answer.
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/newhorizons/main/index.html
Geez, sounds like a crappy place to go vacationing...
Too bad they're using the Imperial system on Pluto.
The model is two-dimensional (latitude and height), so it does not model three-dimensional complexities. Still, it's the first work of a fascinating subject -- all the more fascinating because Pluto is moving away from the Sun, and its atmosphere is due to freeze solid in a few years. Adding that complicating feature to the atmospheric models should keep a generation of graduate students employed.
With winds that high, and no gravity, you'd think the surface would erode to nothing and dissipate into space. I call BS.
Howling winds that sweep clockwise around the planet at up to 225 mph — though the atmosphere is so thin, it would only feel like 1 mph hour on Earth.
I have a feeling you wouldn't hear much of anything if the atmosphere was so thin that you could barely feel a "225 mph wind"
That blows.
So you are one of those climate deniers are you?
when the hell did Pluto get an atmosphere?? I always thought it was a frozen rock way out past the orbit of Neptune that's too small to hold an atmosphere.
Soon (2015) the new horizons probe will beam back the first pictures of the surface of Pluto. I am excited! We will, for the first time in human history, know what the surface of that world looks like. From the few tantalising hints we have, we know that the surface is colourful (type Pluto into Wikipedia). We know little else.
The only thing that ruins the mission for me slightly is that the probe carries on it thousands of messages from bebo users. I console myself by saying 'at least it's not reddit', which helps somewhat.
I had to scroll past more than 10 top level posts before I found the first obligatory message bitching about units.
Next time, stay on the ball.
225 MPH winds on Pluto? Now we know what makes the Spaghetti Monster fly!
Gamingmuseum.com: Give your 3D accelerator a rest.
Wind speeds are meaningless at the density of atmosphere on Pluto (or even Neptune, for that matter).
Airspeeds could be thousands of miles an hour, and there would still be no appreciable effect of friction. Indeed, that is part of the reason airspeeds are so fast to begin with.
It makes me a little crazy that they didn't make this mission an orbiter. No more flybys! Time for us to grow up. Orbiters, landers, and rovers should be the new norm.
Seriously, 225 mph farts from a dog are really not worthy of modelling... Trust me on this.
To orbit such a small body that far away, you either have to approach much more slowly (meaning it wouldn't get there in your lifetime), or you have to bring a TON of fuel with you, and hope you can slow down enough to be caught by Pluto's meek gravity, with near pin-point accuracy of orbital insertion.
They choose to get there fast. The fly-by will be very fast, the encounter time very short, and they had to plan a lot so that pictures wouldn't be blurry, but at least we'll see results sooner than 50 years from now. Also, this probe almost didn't get the green light... having to slow down to orbit would have increased the cost and the risk enough that it probably woudl have been canceled outright.
Not saying I don't agree with your wishes, just pointing out the reality of the situation here, and why it's not doing that.
- Spryguy
There are three kinds of people in this world: those that can count and those that can't
So someone thinks they can model the wind speed on Pluto? Right.
Sorry, but gray text on gray background is making my eyes bleed.
Yet another group that thinks:
Howling winds that sweep clockwise around the planet at up to 225 mph
Means something. I guess we have to presume that they mean referenced from the "top" of the planet too.
It's not a planet so you can't get any grants or loans for those windmills. ;)
You see Pluto is not a planet because of consensus among scientists that it's not a planet. I've yet to see solid proof it's not a planet and there is a dearth of peer reviewed articles which show it's not a planet. It is also very difficult to get these consensual scientists to release the raw data that lead to their consensual conclusion that Pluto is not a planet.
I say we rid ourselves of these consensual scientists so that Pluto can again be a planet and we can get the grants and use that wind for a good purpose. We have a very good electrical conduit, an artificial astronomical terawatt microwave laser that can pump the entire output of those wind mills in a pulse lasting less than a second. We'd just need to catch that here on Earth and it's all gravy.
I'd go on a Vegan diet but the delivery time from Vega is too long. --brownkitty
Relative to what?