According to Ripley's, Pluto was discovered in 1930 and will not complete its first orbit (since being discovered) until 2178. Now that I've typed this Ripley fact, I'm thinking it shouldn't be that surprising. I think I remember hearing Pluto's trip around the sun takes about 250 years. I guess it's the way Ripley presented it that it strikes me as astounding.
Quote from: SGOS on May 28, 2015, 12:10:55 PM
According to Ripley's, Pluto was discovered in 1930 and will not complete its first orbit (since being discovered) until 2178. Now that I've typed this Ripley fact, I'm thinking it shouldn't be that surprising. I think I remember hearing Pluto's trip around the sun takes about 250 years. I guess it's the way Ripley presented it that it strikes me as astounding.
Yeah, that is astounding. But Pluto is not a planet now, so who cares???? It is also astounding that Pluto has two moons. The Earth has only one. So why did Earth get so uppity and exclude Pluto from the family of planets???! I understand that Mickey Mouse is mighty upset!
Quote from: Mike Cl on May 28, 2015, 12:23:41 PM
Yeah, that is astounding. But Pluto is not a planet now, so who cares????
LOL Yeah, it's just a chunk of debris floating around without any purpose. You've got to wonder why God created the stupid thing.
Quote from: Mike Cl on May 28, 2015, 12:23:41 PM
It is also astounding that Pluto has two moons. The Earth has only one. So why did Earth get so uppity
I dunno. We're third from the sun. Third is like in-between winning and losing. What's so impressive about that? Compared to the gas giants, to an outsider, we're just "that other planet," and no one ever remembers its name.
Quote from: SGOS on May 28, 2015, 12:39:25 PM
LOL Yeah, it's just a chunk of debris floating around without any purpose. You've got to wonder why God created the stupid thing.
I dunno. We're third from the sun. Third is like in-between winning and losing. What's so impressive about that? Compared to the gas giants, to an outsider, we're just "that other planet," and no one ever remembers its name.
Just being a little facetious. I guess Pluto is more like an asteroid than a planet because of it's orbit--irregular and all that.
But loooook at him. Isn't he cute?
(http://cdn.zmescience.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/pluto.jpg)
Quote from: drunkenshoe on May 28, 2015, 01:57:27 PM
But loooook at him. Isn't he cute?
(http://cdn.zmescience.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/pluto.jpg)
It looks like something a spider hatched.
Here's another fact about Pluto. It contains more water than all of Earth's oceans. One third of it is ice.
Quote from: SGOS on May 28, 2015, 02:44:25 PM
It looks like something a spider hatched.
Well, that's cute. Sort of.
Quote from: Mike Cl on May 28, 2015, 12:23:41 PMIt is also astounding that Pluto has two moons. The Earth has only one.
Pluto has 5 known moons: Charon, Nix, Kereberos, Styx, and yours truly, Hydra.
Quote from: Mike Cl on May 28, 2015, 01:32:01 PMJust being a little facetious. I guess Pluto is more like an asteroid than a planet because of it's orbit--irregular and all that.
It is tiny, but mostly, it's the clearing the neighborhood (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clearing_the_neighbourhood) criterion.
Quote from: Mike Cl on May 28, 2015, 12:23:41 PMIt is also astounding that Pluto has two moons.
Pluto has five known moons.
As for what Pluto looks like, here is the best photo available yet. (They will only get better over the next several weeks!)
(http://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/styles/full_width/public/thumbnails/image/nh-apr16-may12-2015.jpg?itok=h8UFyMcs)
Pluto also has a crazy orbit that doesn't even closely resemble that model you made in third grade science class.
(http://i59.tinypic.com/ilhumd.jpg)
Quote from: Hydra009 on May 28, 2015, 03:11:34 PM
Pluto has 5 known moons: Charon, Nix, Kereberos, Styx, and yours truly, Hydra.
Damn! I really am behind the times. I thought it had only 2 moons and that they orbited each other as they orbited Pluto. I guess that is what I get for thinking. :)
Quote from: SGOS on May 28, 2015, 12:10:55 PM
According to Ripley's, Pluto was discovered in 1930 and will not complete its first orbit (since being discovered) until 2178. Now that I've typed this Ripley fact, I'm thinking it shouldn't be that surprising. I think I remember hearing Pluto's trip around the sun takes about 250 years. I guess it's the way Ripley presented it that it strikes me as astounding.
And Neptune only recently finished its first full orbit on 12 July 2011 since its discovery.
I am so amped about New Horizons. I can't wait to see what's out there. :D
Meanwhile, I think I'll start celebrating my birthday in Martian years (http://www.exploratorium.edu/ronh/age/). I'll only be 28 on my next one.
Quote from: trdsf on May 29, 2015, 01:25:32 AM
I am so amped about New Horizons. I can't wait to see what's out there. :D
This is amazing stuff, isn't it? It's one of those awesome things that awakens a kind of joy and appreciation in many of us. Exploring but a small part of the wondrous universe; How can this not create a sense of humility, while at the same time, it becomes a testimony to man's aptitude to explore and learn? In contrast, back here on earth, religious fanatics are murdering each other trying to force their will, and the Pope's Cardinal in Ireland is in a snit over allowing gays to marry.
One thing I'd like to see from New Horizons when it passes Pluto, is a photograph of the Sun. I'm expecting basically just a night sky filled with stars and an arrow pointing to one of them identifying it as our Sun.
.
QuoteI can't wait to see what's out there.
That's my dad's take on religion. .
"There's something out there. "
Hmmmmm... :think:
Quote from: SGOS on May 29, 2015, 07:24:37 AM
This is amazing stuff, isn't it? It's one of those awesome things that awakens a kind of joy and appreciation in many of us. Exploring but a small part of the wondrous universe; How can this not create a sense of humility, while at the same time, it becomes a testimony to man's aptitude to explore and learn? In contrast, back here on earth, religious fanatics are murdering each other trying to force their will, and the Pope's Cardinal in Ireland is in a snit over allowing gays to marry.
One thing I'd like to see from New Horizons when it passes Pluto, is a photograph of the Sun. I'm expecting basically just a night sky filled with stars and an arrow pointing to one of them identifying it as our Sun.
Oh, yes. Though actually, it'll be easy to spot and won't need to be picked out -- the sun will by far be the brightest thing in the frame, and may still have an identifiable disk. But even if it doesn't, it will still be obvious which one. Pluto's only five and a half light-hours out. Even Voyager is still just under a light-day distant. Depending on which direction you're heading, it's been calculated that you need to be about a light year and a half out to nearly two light years for the sun to no longer be the brightest thing in the sky.
You got an orbit, you got a responsibility. If your orbit isn't done, you don't move for an hour then call it quits. You move your ass out there, and you complete that fuckin' orbit!
(http://thumbnails.hulu.com/9/46/26297_512x288_generated__ZwCWy7AjtUigsMoRvYhYCA.jpg)
Quote from: SGOS on May 28, 2015, 12:10:55 PM
According to Ripley's, Pluto was discovered in 1930 and will not complete its first orbit (since being discovered) until 2178. Now that I've typed this Ripley fact, I'm thinking it shouldn't be that surprising. I think I remember hearing Pluto's trip around the sun takes about 250 years. I guess it's the way Ripley presented it that it strikes me as astounding.
So if you were born at the beginning of January of Pluto's year chances are you wouldn't live to see May. [emoji15]