Pluto: the beginning
I just finished watching the NASA press conference, and here are the first high-res photos released from the Pluto/Charon system. First a close-up of Pluto, and then a full, clear shot of Charon, one of Pluto's moons.
Now I'm not a planetary scientist and therefore cannot speak with much authority, but one thing I kept wondering about was how clean the surfaces of both Pluto and Charon appeared. I expected something more akin to the surface of the moon or Mercury, pockmarked with craters, but that's not what we got. Instead, these bodies appeared to be "active," in other words, their surfaces appear to be quite "young." I'll just leave you to draw your own conclusions.
What a day! And what a view!
So when are we going back? New Horizons 2 anyone?
Feedback? Email me at toddcharleswood [at] gmail [dot] com.
Now I'm not a planetary scientist and therefore cannot speak with much authority, but one thing I kept wondering about was how clean the surfaces of both Pluto and Charon appeared. I expected something more akin to the surface of the moon or Mercury, pockmarked with craters, but that's not what we got. Instead, these bodies appeared to be "active," in other words, their surfaces appear to be quite "young." I'll just leave you to draw your own conclusions.
What a day! And what a view!
So when are we going back? New Horizons 2 anyone?
Feedback? Email me at toddcharleswood [at] gmail [dot] com.