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Time-Lapse of Pluto and Charon Produced By New Horizons

Posted by Soulskill on from the drifting-ever-closer dept.

schwit1 writes: Cool images! Using New Horizons' long range camera, scientists have compiled a movie showing Charon and Pluto orbiting each other during the last week of January 2015. "Pluto and Charon were observed for an entire rotation of each body; a "day" on Pluto and Charon is 6.4 Earth days. The first of the images was taken when New Horizons was about 3 billion miles from Earth, but just 126 million miles (203 million kilometers) from Pluto — about 30% farther than Earth's distance from the Sun. The last frame came 6.5 days later, with New Horizons more than 5 million miles (8 million kilometers) closer." The wobble easily visible in Pluto's motion is due to the gravity of Charon, about one-eighth as massive as Pluto and about the size of Texas. Our view of Pluto and Charon is only going to get better as New Horizons zooms towards its July fly-by.

6 of 44 comments (clear)

  1. July Fly-by by rossdee · · Score: 3, Funny

    It makes sense when you're going to thecoldest planet in the solar system, to arrive in summer.

    1. Re:July Fly-by by Livius · · Score: 3, Funny

      As opposed to February, which is in summer. (Note both depend on your hemisphere.)

  2. Need CSI by inflex · · Score: 3, Funny

    They should have gotten CSI on the job, need that zoom+enhance facility.

  3. Re:More than 1 AU by ihtoit · · Score: 5, Insightful

    what we have from NH is what we had in 2012 from Gemini North, Hawai'i. That's not to say "Oh, how disappointing!", what you've got to consider (and from what I'm reading down this page, not many people are) is that the GN observations will NEVER get any better because OPTICAL PHYSICS and the fact that those observations were made when Pluto was about as close as it's going to get for a good while. NH is getting closer by the day - right now it is closer to Pluto than this planet will EVER get. The images are only going to get BETTER as it approaches - providing the cameras don't fail.

    --
    Political debates have me rolling my eyes so much I think I got optical whiplash. I should sue. - Foamy The Squirrel
  4. Re:And what of the Earth? by iggymanz · · Score: 2

    You'd see a massive wobble! the center of mass of the Earth - Moon system is at 74% of the Earth's radius

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B...

  5. ambassador to the outer solar system by globaljustin · · Score: 2

    the IAU should grant Pluto a once-in-the-universe exception to the definition of 'planet'

    it's perfect for kids...

    why?

    because Pluto technically isn't a planet even though historically it is known as one of the planets

    why isn't it a planet?

    see...it's just a big excuse to talk about astronomy

    put an asterisk by it in the textbooks

    the IAU could bolster its reputation by doing this as well

    --
    Thank you Dave Raggett