Pluto, the once and future planet

[LongBlade]

Planet.

[JasonPratt]

And more planets to us!  8)

(Though I can understand Ceres not counting, as it's part of a clear debris belt. But it might count as a moon of a debris belt!)

[JasonPratt]

Btw, did any of those recent photos manage to get shots of Charon? I can understand missing out on it due to having to make a choice (a significantly long time in advance with limited fuel for maneuvering) what to clearly photograph, but I'm certainly curious for a similar study on it someday. A dual-planet would be nicely unique! -- though I suppose they'd have to be orbiting each other, not one orbiting the other, and I've never heard that Charon and Pluto orbit each other.

Imagine the ballsy project of intentionally aiming at Charon (maybe passing by other objects intentionally along the way) for an orbital flyby with a return plot to the Earth! We've never had a probe come back from outside Earth's gravity well before, right? Even from our lunar orbit?

[Barthheart]

Pic of Charon from July 14,2015

This new image of an area on Pluto's largest moon Charon has a captivating feature—a depression with a peak in the middle, shown here in the upper left corner of the inset.


The image shows an area approximately 240 miles (390 kilometers) from top to bottom, including few visible craters. "The most intriguing feature is a large mountain sitting in a moat," said Jeff Moore with NASA's Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California, who leads New Horizons' Geology, Geophysics and Imaging team. "This is a feature that has geologists stunned and stumped."


This image gives a preview of what the surface of this large moon will look like in future close-ups from NASA's New Horizons spacecraft. This image is heavily compressed; sharper versions are anticipated when the full-fidelity data from New Horizons' Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) are returned to Earth.


The rectangle superimposed on the global view of Charon shows the approximate location of this close-up view.


The image was taken at approximately 6:30 a.m. EDT (10:30 UTC) on July 14, 2015, about 1.5 hours before closest approach to Pluto, from a range of 49,000 miles (79,000 kilometers).

Image Credit: NASA-JHUAPL-SwRI

https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/new-horizons-close-up-of-charon-s-mountain-in-a-moat

[mirth]

Planet, Janet!

[GDS_Starfury]

[JasonPratt]

Oh, yay, Charon, too! 

Very amusing to see this i09 article denying it's a planet but arguing it's something cooler than a planet: the largest (known) dwarf planet, and the first known binary planet (with Charon). Which yay! -- but a binary planet is still a planet, as is a dwarf planet. ;)

http://space.io9.com/pluto-is-something-way-more-awesome-than-a-mere-planet-1719807379


That being said, I suppose if it hasn't yet cleared out or mooned material in close orbital proximity, it fails that criteria; and there are other significantly sized materials trailing not far ahead and behind it on the same orbital plane.

[LongBlade]

Planet.

On Aug. 24, 2006, nine years ago today, the International Astronomical Union demoted Pluto from a planet to a dwarf planet — a move that sparked protests and split the space-science community.

Some in the community, including leading Pluto researchers, are still upset at the decision.

"It's bulls—,"Alan Stern, the lead scientist behind NASA's New Horizons mission to Pluto, told Tech Insider in July (and said we could quote him on that).

The problem, Stern said, is that the reclassification largely stemmed from the opinions of astronomers, not planetary scientists. His beef here is that astronomers study a large variety of celestial objects and cosmic phenomena, while planetary scientists focus solely on planets, moons, and planetary systems.

"Why would you listen to an astronomer about a planet?" Stern said.

He compared it to going to a podiatrist for brain surgery.

"Even though they're both doctors, they have different expertise," Stern said. "You really should listen to planetary scientists that know something about this subject. When we look at an object like Pluto, we don't know what else to call it."

That's because Pluto meets the main criteria for planethood: It is rounded by its own gravity.

source: http://www.businessinsider.com.au/nasa-new-horizons-alan-stern-says-pluto-is-a-planet-2015-8

Many more reasons it qualifies as a planet at the link.  O0

[bayonetbrant]

That's because Pluto meets the main criteria for planethood: It is rounded by its own gravity.

Holy shit!  I'm a planet!

[Centurion40]

That's because Pluto meets the main criteria for planethood: It is rounded by its own gravity.

Holy shit!  I'm a planet!

Me too.

:-[

[LongBlade]

I think you guys haven't been rounded by gravity but by your toes:

Cheetos, Fritos...

[Toonces]

Planet.

[eyebiter]

[Barthheart]

Planet.

On Aug. 24, 2006, nine years ago today, the International Astronomical Union demoted Pluto from a planet to a dwarf planet — a move that sparked protests and split the space-science community.

Some in the community, including leading Pluto researchers, are still upset at the decision.

"It's bulls—,"Alan Stern, the lead scientist behind NASA's New Horizons mission to Pluto, told Tech Insider in July (and said we could quote him on that).

The problem, Stern said, is that the reclassification largely stemmed from the opinions of astronomers, not planetary scientists. His beef here is that astronomers study a large variety of celestial objects and cosmic phenomena, while planetary scientists focus solely on planets, moons, and planetary systems.

"Why would you listen to an astronomer about a planet?" Stern said.

He compared it to going to a podiatrist for brain surgery.

"Even though they're both doctors, they have different expertise," Stern said. "You really should listen to planetary scientists that know something about this subject. When we look at an object like Pluto, we don't know what else to call it."

That's because Pluto meets the main criteria for planethood: It is rounded by its own gravity.

source: http://www.businessinsider.com.au/nasa-new-horizons-alan-stern-says-pluto-is-a-planet-2015-8

Many more reasons it qualifies as a planet at the link.  O0

Sounds like a wanna be astronomer that didn't make the cut so calls himself a "planetary scientist".... same nonsense as MS lan knobs calling themselves "engineers".  :P

That's because Pluto meets the main criteria for planethood: It is rounded by its own gravity.

If that's the main criteria, then the Moon is a planet too. ::)

Still not a planet.

;)

[Bison]

Planet.