{"id":10969,"date":"2015-07-14T01:59:49","date_gmt":"2015-07-14T05:59:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=10969"},"modified":"2015-07-14T02:00:48","modified_gmt":"2015-07-14T06:00:48","slug":"new-horizons-video-of-monday-briefing-finally-the-diameter-of-pluto","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=10969","title":{"rendered":"New Horizons: Video of Monday briefing + Finally the diameter of Pluto"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The <a href=\"http:\/\/pluto.jhuapl.edu\" target=\"_blank\">New Horizons<\/a> fly-by of Pluto will happen on Tuesday with the closest approach at around 7:50 am EDT. It won&#8217;t be known until Wednesday if there were any problems with the imaging and sensor measurements since the high gain antenna cannot point at earth while the camera and sensors are pointed at the planet.<\/p>\n<p>&#8212;<\/p>\n<p>Here is the video of the New Horizons briefing on Monday:<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"1600\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/aNSGTbS3xuQ?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n<p>&#8212;<\/p>\n<p>A key finding by New Horizons:<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/pluto.jhuapl.edu\/News-Center\/News-Article.php?page=20150713\" target=\"_d\">How Big Is Pluto? New Horizons Settles Decades-Long Debate<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>NASA\u2019s New Horizons mission has answered one of the most basic questions about Pluto\u2014its size.<\/p>\n<p>Mission scientists have found Pluto to be 1,473 miles (2,370 kilometers) in diameter, somewhat larger than many prior estimates. Images acquired with the Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) were used to make this determination. This result confirms what was already suspected: Pluto is larger than all other known solar system objects beyond the orbit of Neptune.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/7-13-15_Pluto_image_NASA-JHUAPL-SWRI1.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"10972\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?attachment_id=10972\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/7-13-15_Pluto_image_NASA-JHUAPL-SWRI1.png\" data-orig-size=\"1600,1600\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"7-13-15_Pluto_image_NASA-JHUAPL-SWRI[1]\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/7-13-15_Pluto_image_NASA-JHUAPL-SWRI1-1024x1024.png\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-10972 size-large\" src=\"http:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/7-13-15_Pluto_image_NASA-JHUAPL-SWRI1-1024x1024.png\" alt=\"7-13-15_Pluto_image_NASA-JHUAPL-SWRI[1]\" width=\"520\" height=\"520\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/7-13-15_Pluto_image_NASA-JHUAPL-SWRI1-1024x1024.png 1024w, https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/7-13-15_Pluto_image_NASA-JHUAPL-SWRI1-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/7-13-15_Pluto_image_NASA-JHUAPL-SWRI1-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/7-13-15_Pluto_image_NASA-JHUAPL-SWRI1.png 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 520px) 100vw, 520px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><em><a href=\"http:\/\/pluto.jhuapl.edu\/Multimedia\/Science-Photos\/image.php?gallery_id=2&amp;image_id=222\" target=\"_blank\">Pluto&#8217;s Heart &#8211; July.13.15<\/a>: Pluto\u2019s bright, mysterious \u201cheart\u201d is rotating into view, ready for its close-up on close approach, in this image taken by New Horizons on July 12 from a distance of 1.6 million miles (2.5 million kilometers). It is the target of the highest-resolution images that will be taken during the spacecraft\u2019s closest approach to Pluto on July 14. The intriguing \u201cbulls-eye\u201d feature at right is rotating out of view, and will not be seen in greater detail.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe size of Pluto has been debated since its discovery in 1930. We are excited to finally lay this question to rest,\u201d said mission scientist Bill McKinnon, Washington University, St. Louis.<\/p>\n<p>Pluto\u2019s newly estimated size means that its density is slightly lower than previously thought, and the fraction of ice in its interior is slightly higher. Also, the lowest layer of Pluto\u2019s atmosphere, called the troposphere, is shallower than previously believed.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/7-13-15_Charon_image_NASA-JHUAPL-SWRI1.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"10973\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?attachment_id=10973\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/7-13-15_Charon_image_NASA-JHUAPL-SWRI1.png\" data-orig-size=\"1600,1600\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"7-13-15_Charon_image_NASA-JHUAPL-SWRI[1]\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/7-13-15_Charon_image_NASA-JHUAPL-SWRI1-1024x1024.png\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-10973 size-large\" src=\"http:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/7-13-15_Charon_image_NASA-JHUAPL-SWRI1-1024x1024.png\" alt=\"7-13-15_Charon_image_NASA-JHUAPL-SWRI[1]\" width=\"520\" height=\"520\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/7-13-15_Charon_image_NASA-JHUAPL-SWRI1-1024x1024.png 1024w, https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/7-13-15_Charon_image_NASA-JHUAPL-SWRI1-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/7-13-15_Charon_image_NASA-JHUAPL-SWRI1-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/7-13-15_Charon_image_NASA-JHUAPL-SWRI1.png 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 520px) 100vw, 520px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><em><a href=\"http:\/\/pluto.jhuapl.edu\/Multimedia\/Science-Photos\/image.php?page=&amp;gallery_id=2&amp;image_id=221\" target=\"_blank\">Charon&#8217;s Features &#8211; July.13.15<\/a>: Charon\u2019s newly-discovered system of chasms, larger than the Grand Canyon on Earth, rotates out of view in New Horizons\u2019 sharpest image yet of the Texas-sized moon. It\u2019s trailed by a large equatorial impact crater that is ringed by bright rays of ejected material. In this latest image, the dark north polar region is displaying new and intriguing patterns. This image was taken on July 12 from a distance of 1.6 million miles (2.5 million kilometers). <\/em><\/p>\n<p>Measuring Pluto\u2019s size has been a decades-long challenge due to complicating factors from its atmosphere. Its largest moon Charon lacks a substantial atmosphere, and its diameter was easier to determine using ground-based telescopes. New Horizons observations of Charon confirm previous estimates of 751 miles (1208 km) kilometers) across<\/p>\n<p>LORRI has also zoomed in on two of Pluto\u2019s smaller moons, Nix and Hydra.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe knew from the time we designed our flyby that we would only be able to study the small moons in detail for just a few days before closest approach,\u201d said New Horizons Principal Investigator Alan Stern of the Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, Colorado. \u201cNow, deep inside Pluto\u2019s sphere of influence, that time has come.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Nix and Hydra were discovered using the Hubble Space Telescope in 2005. Even to Hubble, they appeared as points of light, and that\u2019s how they looked to New Horizons until the final week of its approach to Pluto. Now, the latest LORRI images show the two diminutive satellites not as pinpoints, but as moons seen well enough to measure their sizes. Nix is estimated to be about 20 miles (about 35 kilometers) across, while Hydra is roughly 30 miles (roughly 45 kilometers) across. These sizes lead mission scientists to conclude that their surfaces are quite bright, possibly due to the presence of ice.<\/p>\n<p>What about Pluto\u2019s two smallest moons, Kerberos and Styx? Smaller and fainter than Nix and Hydra, they are harder to measure. Mission scientists should be able to determine their sizes with observations New Horizons will make during the flyby and will transmit to Earth at a later date.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/7-13-15_Denver_Nix_Hydra_JHUAPL1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"10974\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?attachment_id=10974\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/7-13-15_Denver_Nix_Hydra_JHUAPL1.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1920,1080\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"7-13-15_Denver_Nix_Hydra_JHUAPL[1]\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/7-13-15_Denver_Nix_Hydra_JHUAPL1-1024x576.jpg\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-10974 size-large\" src=\"http:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/7-13-15_Denver_Nix_Hydra_JHUAPL1-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"7-13-15_Denver_Nix_Hydra_JHUAPL[1]\" width=\"520\" height=\"293\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/7-13-15_Denver_Nix_Hydra_JHUAPL1-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/7-13-15_Denver_Nix_Hydra_JHUAPL1-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/7-13-15_Denver_Nix_Hydra_JHUAPL1.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 520px) 100vw, 520px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><em><a href=\"http:\/\/pluto.jhuapl.edu\/Multimedia\/Science-Photos\/image.php?page=&amp;gallery_id=2&amp;image_id=220\" target=\"_blank\">Pluto\u2019s moons Nix and Hydra\u00a0&#8211;\u00a0July 13, 2015<\/a>:\u00a0The approximate sizes of Pluto\u2019s moons Nix and Hydra compared to Denver, Colorado. While Nix and Hydra are illustrated as circles in this diagram, mission scientists anticipate that future observations by New Horizons will show that they are irregular in shape. <\/em><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The New Horizons fly-by of Pluto will happen on Tuesday with the closest approach at around 7:50 am EDT. It won&#8217;t be known until Wednesday if there were any problems with the imaging and sensor measurements since the high gain antenna cannot point at earth while the camera and sensors are pointed at the planet. &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=10969\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">New Horizons: Video of Monday briefing + Finally the diameter of Pluto<\/span> <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[97,13,26],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10969","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-pluto","category-space-science","category-space-systems"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p34aWK-2QV","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":10950,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=10950","url_meta":{"origin":10969,"position":0},"title":"New Horizons: Pluto by Moonlight + Images + Videos: Daily briefing + History + In Focus","author":"TopSpacer","date":"July 11, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Here are several items related to\u00a0the New Horizons Pluto fly-by mission: *\u00a0Pluto by Moonlight\u00a0- An article about the dark south polar region of Pluto *\u00a0New Horizons SOC\u00a0- gallery of images from the New Horizons probe. * July 11th Daily Briefing: https:\/\/youtu.be\/oywH-z6nTTQ *\u00a0How Pluto Was Discovered - Space Pod 07\/10\/15 https:\/\/youtu.be\/WA1WY3O4mpM\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Pluto and beyond&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Pluto and beyond","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=97"},"img":{"alt_text":"Image converted using ifftoany","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/moonlit1-1024x576.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":10928,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=10928","url_meta":{"origin":10969,"position":1},"title":"New Horizons: July 8th daily briefing video + Flyby schedule + Pluto in Google Earth","author":"TopSpacer","date":"July 9, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Here's the latest update on the New Horizons mission: https:\/\/youtu.be\/H3zbyzuFA6I --- Here are timelines of events from now till\u00a0July 14th when the New Horizons probe passes by Pluto and several\u00a0days after: Updated Television Coverage, Media Activities for Pluto Flyby -\u00a0NASA What to expect when you're expecting a flyby: Planning your\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Pluto and beyond&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Pluto and beyond","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=97"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/H3zbyzuFA6I\/0.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":10956,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=10956","url_meta":{"origin":10969,"position":2},"title":"New Horizons: Misc. resources, websites, etc.","author":"TopSpacer","date":"July 12, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"The next few days will be extremely busy and exciting for the New Horizons\u00a0team. However, images and data from the closest approach on Tuesday won't start being transmitted back to earth till \u00a0Wednesday. The probe must focus all its attention on the planet during the fly-by. You can follow the\u00a0latest\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Pluto and beyond&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Pluto and beyond","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=97"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/DaElspuqbUA\/0.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":11071,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=11071","url_meta":{"origin":10969,"position":3},"title":"New Horizons update today on latest images and data from the Pluto fly-by [Update]","author":"TopSpacer","date":"July 24, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"The New Horizons team will hold a briefing today at 2:00 pm EDT:\u00a0Complex World: New Horizons Pluto Science Update Set for July 24 -\u00a0NASA. The panel will include: Jim Green, director of Planetary Science at NASA Headquarters Alan Stern, New Horizons principal investigator at Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) in Boulder,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Pluto and beyond&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Pluto and beyond","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=97"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/dWr29KIs2Ns\/0.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":10991,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=10991","url_meta":{"origin":10969,"position":4},"title":"New Horizons: Post fly-by briefing + Initial discoveries","author":"TopSpacer","date":"July 16, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"On Wednesday the first images from the New Horizons pass through the Plutonian system were released. Here is a video of the post-flyby briefing : https:\/\/youtu.be\/0jTdaOhG9wE --- Here is the press release about the initial fly-by findings: From Mountains to Moons: Multiple Discoveries from NASA's New Horizons Pluto Mission Icy\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Pluto and beyond&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Pluto and beyond","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=97"},"img":{"alt_text":"nh-pluto-surface-scale[1]","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/nh-pluto-surface-scale1-1024x679.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":8680,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=8680","url_meta":{"origin":10969,"position":5},"title":"Videos: New Horizons-Pluto and Voyager-Neptune fly-by discussions","author":"TopSpacer","date":"August 26, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"The videos have been posted of the panels in Monday's two-part NASA event (see earlier posting) about the New Horizons Pluto mission and comparing that probe's\u00a0passing the orbit of Neptune with the 25th anniversary of the Voyager 2 fly-by of Neptune. A panel discussion of the New Horizons project: http:\/\/youtu.be\/z3ekr2CXlK0\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Europa, Titan, &amp; other deep space sites&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Europa, Titan, &amp; other deep space sites","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=98"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/z3ekr2CXlK0\/0.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10969","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=10969"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10969\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10976,"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10969\/revisions\/10976"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=10969"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=10969"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=10969"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}