New horizon

[alokmohan]

http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewsr.nl.html?pid=21374.Historic mission to pluto on way. Dont forget.

 

[3488]

I hope that we will get some good observations of volcanic Io. I hope (at some point) to convince NASA to carry out a dedicated Io mission (orbiter & a lander). <br /><br />It will be interesting to see what the current state of volcanic activity is there at the time. <br /><br />It is good to see that New Horizons is continuing to operate well. <br /><br />Already speculation about what New Horizons will see at Pluto & Charon is rampant (I remember similar speculation about the Neptune moon Triton, prior to the arrival of Voyager 2). <br /><br />I wonder if Red Spot Junior will still be there when New Horizons arrive? <br /><br />I understand that the Great Red Spot is going to be investigated in detail, should be very interesting!! <br /><br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080">"I suddenly noticed an anomaly to the left of Io, just off the rim of that world. It was extremely large with respect to the overall size of Io and crescent shaped. It seemed unbelievable that something that big had not been visible before".</font> <em><strong><font color="#000000">Linda Morabito </font></strong><font color="#800000">on discovering that the Jupiter moon Io was volcanically active. Friday 9th March 1979.</font></em></p><p><font size="1" color="#000080">http://www.launchphotography.com/</font><br /><br /><font size="1" color="#000080">http://anthmartian.googlepages.com/thisislandearth</font></p><p><font size="1" color="#000080">http://web.me.com/meridianijournal</font></p> </div>

 

[bonzelite]

that's cool. <br /><br />i see the article, ie, New Horzons mission, has taken it upon itself to solve the "definition of a planet" problem that has been the topic of very long debates on SDC:<br /><br />"dwarf planet." <br /><br />i guess that's the conclusion, then? after all of that debate on KBOs and planets? "dwarf planet" is what they've arrived at?<br /><br />????<br /><br />what about dwarf planets that are discovered to be larger than Pluto? or the size of mars? i guess those will just be "planets" as usual. <br /><br />dwarf planet?

 

[3488]

Pluto is a KBO. Pure & simple. I think the bar has been raised by the discoverey of 2003 UB313. <br /><br />Pluto, Triton & 2003 UB313 appear to be a similar type of object, although Pluto has been 'reddened' somewhat where as 2003 UN313 has reained a neutral grey, despite the similar frozen Methane surface.<br /><br />Perhaps we could have some suggestions as to what we think New Horizons will see at Pluto & Charon, upon arrival.<br /><br />Charon appears to have large amounts of Crystalline Ice (either warm ice of ive that froze slowly into large crystals)m, indicating that at some point, Charon may have been Cryovolcanically active. I think that Charon will look somewhat like the Uranus moon Miranda.<br /><br />Pluto is more difficult as its surface is covered by methane & nitrogen ice. I do think that Pluto is not as evolved as Triton, as Tritonb was captured by Neptune & was heated internally, destroying the original surface. Pluto does not appear to have had such a past. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080">"I suddenly noticed an anomaly to the left of Io, just off the rim of that world. It was extremely large with respect to the overall size of Io and crescent shaped. It seemed unbelievable that something that big had not been visible before".</font> <em><strong><font color="#000000">Linda Morabito </font></strong><font color="#800000">on discovering that the Jupiter moon Io was volcanically active. Friday 9th March 1979.</font></em></p><p><font size="1" color="#000080">http://www.launchphotography.com/</font><br /><br /><font size="1" color="#000080">http://anthmartian.googlepages.com/thisislandearth</font></p><p><font size="1" color="#000080">http://web.me.com/meridianijournal</font></p> </div>

 

[alokmohan]

What is red spot junior?Is it in pluto?

 

[CalliArcale]

No, the New Horizon's team hasn't redefined anything. The IAU will make that decision. Of course, everybody's got their own opinion, and some camps have formed. What the New Horizon's team has done is to indicate which camp their in. The term "dwarf planet" was coined some time ago. It's all semantics in the end. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p><font color="#666699"><em>"People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint it's more like a big ball of wibbly wobbly . . . timey wimey . . . stuff."</em>  -- The Tenth Doctor, "Blink"</font></p> </div>

 

[CalliArcale]

Red Spot Jr is a big storm on Jupiter. It is not as big as the Great Red Spot, but similar in color and altitude. It is at a higher latitude than the GRS. It recently passed the GRS, but neither storm appeared affected by the encounter. It's being observed carefully to see what happens over time. Perhaps it could shed some light on the GRS' remarkable persistence over the centuries. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p><font color="#666699"><em>"People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint it's more like a big ball of wibbly wobbly . . . timey wimey . . . stuff."</em>  -- The Tenth Doctor, "Blink"</font></p> </div>

 

[3488]

New Horizons will be able to study both, to see what similarities & differences there are. Is Red Spot Junior highly elevated like the Great Red Spot (the centre of which rises about 10 kilometres higher than the edge). The two are certainly anticyclonic (high pressure) storms.<br /><br />Perhaps New Horizons will see thunderheads close to Red Spot Junior as they are to the Great Red Spot.<br /><br />I hope that we still get some good Io observations in. Below are the Hubble Space Telescope observations of Red Spot Junior. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080">"I suddenly noticed an anomaly to the left of Io, just off the rim of that world. It was extremely large with respect to the overall size of Io and crescent shaped. It seemed unbelievable that something that big had not been visible before".</font> <em><strong><font color="#000000">Linda Morabito </font></strong><font color="#800000">on discovering that the Jupiter moon Io was volcanically active. Friday 9th March 1979.</font></em></p><p><font size="1" color="#000080">http://www.launchphotography.com/</font><br /><br /><font size="1" color="#000080">http://anthmartian.googlepages.com/thisislandearth</font></p><p><font size="1" color="#000080">http://web.me.com/meridianijournal</font></p> </div>

 

[alokmohan]

Its not in Pluto.I was confused when it was mentioned in New Horizon context.

 

[3488]

Hi Alokmohan. <br /><br />New Horizons will pass Jupiter to get a gravity assist on: Wednesday 28th February 2007.<br /><br />The Jupiter encounter (rightly so) has been upgraded to being part of the primary mission, so New Horizons is going to Jupiter, Pluto & the Kuiper Belt.<br /><br />Jupiter as you know full well, changes quickly with it violent weather & also the large inner Galilean Moon Io is in a class of its own, being so volcanically active. I am trying to convince NASA to send a dedicated orbiter & lander to Io (I know it would not last too long due to the radiation belts & heavy ions, but with modern electronics it would last long enough).<br /><br />New Horizons will complete our initial rec of the Solar System. Shame that New Horizons 2 is not happening (Jupiter, Uranus & the Kuiper Belt).<br /><br />Thank you for starting this thread. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080">"I suddenly noticed an anomaly to the left of Io, just off the rim of that world. It was extremely large with respect to the overall size of Io and crescent shaped. It seemed unbelievable that something that big had not been visible before".</font> <em><strong><font color="#000000">Linda Morabito </font></strong><font color="#800000">on discovering that the Jupiter moon Io was volcanically active. Friday 9th March 1979.</font></em></p><p><font size="1" color="#000080">http://www.launchphotography.com/</font><br /><br /><font size="1" color="#000080">http://anthmartian.googlepages.com/thisislandearth</font></p><p><font size="1" color="#000080">http://web.me.com/meridianijournal</font></p> </div>

 

[alokmohan]

Space missions are prohibitinvely costly.I dont see any point in going IO.Volcanoes may not like it .They may destroy spacecraft and money.But I appreciate that you are thinking positively.

 

[3488]

I do not think an Io mission is pointless & it certainly does not need to be expensive. <br /><br />My point is that Io almost certainly resembles the early Earth in many respects, (apart from size & mass, Io is only slightly larger & heavier than the moon, but is still a fairly large planetary sized object, considerably larger than Pluto) & the fact that so many volcanic & geological features on Io are laid bare, may help predict volcanic activity on Earth. Io is just such a fascinating world.<br /><br />Lets hope that New Horizons get a good view in February 2007, whilst passing by on route to Pluto. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080">"I suddenly noticed an anomaly to the left of Io, just off the rim of that world. It was extremely large with respect to the overall size of Io and crescent shaped. It seemed unbelievable that something that big had not been visible before".</font> <em><strong><font color="#000000">Linda Morabito </font></strong><font color="#800000">on discovering that the Jupiter moon Io was volcanically active. Friday 9th March 1979.</font></em></p><p><font size="1" color="#000080">http://www.launchphotography.com/</font><br /><br /><font size="1" color="#000080">http://anthmartian.googlepages.com/thisislandearth</font></p><p><font size="1" color="#000080">http://web.me.com/meridianijournal</font></p> </div>

 

[CalliArcale]

<blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr /><p>Is Red Spot Junior highly elevated like the Great Red Spot (the centre of which rises about 10 kilometres higher than the edge).<p><hr /></p></p></blockquote><br /><br />Yes, it is highly elevated like the GRS. Spaceweather.com has a fantastic pic of Jupiter taken in the methane band that demonstrates it. Higher altitude features are brighter. This was taken during the encounter of the two red anticyclones.<br /><br />click here <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p><font color="#666699"><em>"People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint it's more like a big ball of wibbly wobbly . . . timey wimey . . . stuff."</em>  -- The Tenth Doctor, "Blink"</font></p> </div>

 

[3488]

Thanks for that CalliArcale. Your image confirms my theory that both red spots are of the same type, but just on different scales.<br /><br />Red Spot Junior appears to have been unaffected by the close encounter by its big sibbling as seen in your image. <br /><br />I just hope it is still there when New Horizons passes by. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080">"I suddenly noticed an anomaly to the left of Io, just off the rim of that world. It was extremely large with respect to the overall size of Io and crescent shaped. It seemed unbelievable that something that big had not been visible before".</font> <em><strong><font color="#000000">Linda Morabito </font></strong><font color="#800000">on discovering that the Jupiter moon Io was volcanically active. Friday 9th March 1979.</font></em></p><p><font size="1" color="#000080">http://www.launchphotography.com/</font><br /><br /><font size="1" color="#000080">http://anthmartian.googlepages.com/thisislandearth</font></p><p><font size="1" color="#000080">http://web.me.com/meridianijournal</font></p> </div>