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New Images of the Distant Ultima Thule Object Have Surprised Scientists (arstechnica.com)
Iwastheone shares a report from Ars Technica: Back in early January, when scientists pulled down their first batch of data from the New Horizons spacecraft, they celebrated an odd snowman-shaped object in the outer Solar System. From this first look, it appeared as though Ultima Thule, formally named 2014 MU69, consisted of two spheres in contact with one another -- a contact binary. Now that scientists have downloaded more data from the distant spacecraft, however, our view of Ultima Thule has changed. A sequence of images captured as New Horizons moved away from the object in the Kuiper Belt at a velocity of 50,000 km/hour, taken about 10 minutes after closest approach, show a much flatter appearance. After analyzing these new images, scientists say the larger lobe more closely resembles a large pancake, and the smaller lobe looks a bit like a walnut. The new photos reveal a dramatically different object because they were taken from a different angle than the images that were downloaded first. As planetary scientist Alex Parker noted on Twitter, "The larger lobe looks to have a shape similar to some of the pancake moons of Saturn, like Atlas." However, Saturn's moons were believed to have formed near the gas giant, in the midst of its rings, rather than in deep space.
I knew it was a mistake trying that new walnut pancake recipe. And I probably went a bit overboard tossing it. Please accept my apologies.
Garry Knight
Bad idea to change the name. It's better dilute the Nazi connotations by ordinary use.
Iapetus.
There's a few ideas as to what caused the ridge but there's not saying for sure. The front runner seems to be that the ridge is from having a fast rotation early on. As it cooled this ridge solidified and the moon became more spherical as the rotation slowed. At least that's what I've taken from how it's described. It could have also been deposits from a debris disk/ring.
There is also an idea that it's the ridge that determined the rotational axis of the body and not the rotation of the body that formed the ridge. It would be amazing (at least to me) if true but it has been given some consideration.
He wore a tacky shirt! We must ruin his and his team's crowning moment and try to end his career! No wonder so many people hate you miserable dipshits.
This is why I come to slashdot - for all of the intellectual comments.
Let me know if one is made.
Yeah, pancakes. When I was a kid during the Apollo era, every kid (and most adults) assumed that by 2018 we would have moon bases, giant space stations, maybe even colonies on Mars--that Apollo was just the beginning of mankind's journey into space.
Now it's 2018 and the U.S. can't even put a man in orbit. And NASA gives us pancakes. Delicious.
SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
Science based reporting to the public is flawed. There is a big gap from the raw data, to the over simplified and often inaccurate general use "Science is Cool! Really it is!" reports.
Part of the problem is general news sites target people with an 8th grade education. Why 8th grade? Because after 8th grade students will tend to focus more on particular tracks of study. So in depth or more advanced explanations is often over most of the populations head, (even those with PHD because they will probably have a PHD in an other area of study).
The other part of the problem, is there is a vocal group of people who are disenfranchised with science. This can happen from many directions.
People who were taught to trust science, only to show it was harmful. (kids playing the DDT Cloud)
People not adapting to changes in the scientific strongest theories. The 1970's because of the smog that was blocking sunlight, there was a prediction of the earth cooling. Then after smog controls were enacted now we have global warming. To some this is Science being wrong again! However Smog does cause the weather to be cooler, as shown from the Beijing Olympics, where the temperature has risen, because they stopped all the smog for the events.
The conspiracy from scientists idea. It seems being a scientist, you are targeted to be part of some sort of grand conspiracy, either by those people who want to take your cars away, or by the corporations who just want to pollute the world for quarterly profit rises. (I kinda wish, I went into climate science, just so I can get paid the big hush money bucks!) ...
So we need to appeal to these people and not cause them to freak out as well.
If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
Doesn't an oblate spheroid make sense (as constituent parts)?
In theory-space, particles would be pulled together (assuming zero starting motion to all particles in a cloud, all the same density, size, and frictionlessness) would form into a theoretically-perfect sphere by gravity.
But IRL these particles don't start out with zero motion....in fact the almost all have SOME motion, as well as slight attractiveness to each other and of course friction. As these all pull toward a centroid, the conservation of angular momentum causing it to spin faster and form an oblate rather than a sphere. In fact, one might be able to infer some information about the initial formation-state of the body by its oblateness, particularly if one could get a statistically useful cross-section of the materials that comprise it?
-Styopa
"closely resembles a large pancake, and the smaller lobe looks a bit like a walnut."
Some scientist should have breakfast before going to work.
You need to study a bit more Greek. Ultima Thule comes from classic Greek and means, approx., "the ends of the earth". Or are you a believer in sympathetic magic?
(FWIW, I am a believer in sympathetic magic, but you complaint still seems silly...and says more about you than about what you're complaining about. Note: Because I believe in sympathetic magic I avoid ads and won't use a swastika as a solar symbol. It does work, but it works internally, and you should notice the effects and act to achieve the results that you desire. Often this means avoiding the stimulus. In *this* case, though, ... well, the appropriate counter charm is to read more Herodotus.)
I think we've pushed this "anyone can grow up to be president" thing too far.