181 replies to this topic

[Eddy]

So, New Horizons has flown by Pluto and has taken a remarkable picture:

Pretty amazing thing it is.

 

More info here:

http://www.theguardi...r-leaving-earth

[Dark Ice Dragon]

Pluto is surprising even the scientis, a surface younger that  what was expected , even the moon Charon seems to have a sort of "geological" activity

[Eddy]

Pluto is surprising even the scientis, a surface younger that  what was expected , even the moon Charon seems to have a sort of "geological" activity

Yeah, that is something pretty interesting. It's also really surprising to find out that Pluto may be a lot bigger than we thought. According to some articles I found, it's like 2/3x bigger than the Moon I believe. (I might be wrong on that though since I don't exactly remember what the source said too well)

 

 

In other news, being in Portugal is the perfect opportunity to go stargazing, so when I'm in the car with the family, driving around the region of mountainous Portugal at night, the sky is so clear and is littered with stars. The most common things I've seen in the sky is the Big Dipper, with Polaris on the tip and Sirius A (brightest star in the night sky). But the most amazing thing of all... I saw the galactic centre of the Milky Way and it was pretty visible. There was like a long strip of brightness made up of millions of stars going right across the sky. It really was one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen ever since I got interested in astronomy.

 

My dad took a few pictures of a section of it, so I'll see if I can brighten up the image and then post it here to share.

[Dark Ice Dragon]

Yeah, that is something pretty interesting. It's also really surprising to find out that Pluto may be a lot bigger than we thought. According to some articles I found, it's like 2/3x bigger than the Moon I believe. (I might be wrong on that though since I don't exactly remember what the source said too well)

 

 

In other news, being in Portugal is the perfect opportunity to go stargazing, so when I'm in the car with the family, driving around the region of mountainous Portugal at night, the sky is so clear and is littered with stars. The most common things I've seen in the sky is the Big Dipper, with Polaris on the tip and Sirius A (brightest star in the night sky). But the most amazing thing of all... I saw the galactic centre of the Milky Way and it was pretty visible. There was like a long strip of brightness made up of millions of stars going right across the sky. It really was one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen ever since I got interested in astronomy.

 

My dad took a few pictures of a section of it, so I'll see if I can brighten up the image and then post it here to share.

That great !

as for Pluto : seem is bigger of Eris but less of our Moon, but..i found conflicting reports on different sites

[SpikeReynolds]

Just really looked into this thread. At first I mixed it up with astrology. My bad.

 

I freakin' love space. I'm not too learned on the subject, but after Mass Effect and C.S. Lewis's 'Space Trilogy,' I'm totally down to learn a thing or two. I know the Space Trilogy didn't do much in terms of scientific accuracy, but it sparked the interest for me, so awesome. I'm actually surprised to FINALLY see a good photo of Pluto that isn't a rendering. The color (if that is the actual color of the planet) is oddly surprising considering I always thought since Pluto is super damn cold that it would be, well, grayer. 

[Eddy]

The color (if that is the actual color of the planet) is oddly surprising considering I always thought since Pluto is super damn cold that it would be, well, grayer. 

Same here. I've always imagined that Pluto was very grey and white and didn't really have much colour. Seeing it mostly brown and cream is a very interesting discovery indeed.

[coolgamer012345]

Same here. I've always imagined that Pluto was very grey and white and didn't really have much colour. Seeing it mostly brown and cream is a very interesting discovery indeed.

I always thought it was a dark blue.

 

Now we know the truth.

[Dark Ice Dragon]

yep and certainly I did not expect a heart -shaped region

[strike]

I love C.S. Lewis's space trilogy. : ) And Pluto is of course, totally gorgeous.

-Strike

[Fabbrizio]

Now I'm just curious about when we'll be able to send a mission to land on Pluto and collect samples. Moore's law would suggest that more efficient methods of propulsion are closer than they seem, but I'd still place it about 20-25 more years off.

Edited by Fabbrizio, 24 July 2015 - 03:48 PM.

[Eddy]

I always thought it was a dark blue.

 

Now we know the truth.

You're probably thinking of Neptune

[Dark Ice Dragon]

Salacia,Makemake,Haumea,Quaoar,Sedna,Orcus...are all names of "potential dwarf planets" that are more far of Pluto, but we still don't know almost nothing of them, i hope that the enthusiasm generated by the images of Pluto may encourage a mission to at least one of them

[Omega]

I think we stole the idea for spoons from the big dipper. We are all horrible people.

[strike]

And if you're an Eskimo, toboggans.

-Strike

[Eddy]

Deciding to revive this real quick regarding news of the Perseus meteor shower (aka. Perseids), which has been happening since July 17th and will continue up until the 24th August. However, the meteor shower will peak tonight with the most spectacular views seen across the UK and other parts of Europe. I'm not sure if it will be visible in the USA, but I am very excited to see this.

 

For those who are unaware of the Perseids, it is an annual meteor shower. On the peak date (usually August 11-13) you will be able to see hundreds of meteors in the sky, zooming right across.

 

Tonight, I'm hoping to see a bit of this shower and hopefully capture something on video or take pictures (if my camera is able to focus on them that is). My only worry is that the weather isn't doing so good right now with all these clouds, though it is clearing up a bit and by tonight I hope the sky will be clear. I also have a specific area in mind, not too far from where I am right now, so that my mum can drive over there and then we can see it all for ourselves.

 

Edit: Turns out at 10:30pm GMT, it will be visible to see the International Space Station as a bright light, just below the red giant, Arcturus. I might probably end up seeing that too