This is amazing stuff, folks. Pluto is coming into focus!

[NRaleighLiberal]

http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-33491454

As New Horizons bears down on Pluto, its images just get sharper and sharper.

The probe's latest picture released on Saturday has started to give scientists some real indications of the geology on the dwarf world.

The new black-and-white view reveals a vast band of patterned terrain stretching around the globe for roughly 1,500km.

Nasa's spacecraft is due to flyby the distant mini-planet on Tuesday.

When it does so, it will be just 12,500km above the surface.

snip

[Renew Deal]

1. Another one

[NRaleighLiberal]

2. .

[glinda]

10. You have that mixed up with their future dream of "mars".

[kcr]

3. Wow

I hope the demoting from planet status doesn't detract from the attention this gets. This is incredible to me, finally being able to see what is, yes, I'm sorry, the 9th planet, after only being able to see a fuzzy blob for so many years.

[magical thyme]

29. I think it was recently re-instated to "planet" status. This NASA article refers to it as a "dwarf

planet."

https://www.nasa.gov/press/2015/february/nasa-spacecraft-returns-new-images-of-pluto-en-route-to-historic-encounter/
NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft returned its first new images of Pluto on Wednesday, as the probe closes in on the dwarf planet. Although still just a dot along with its largest moon, Charon, the images come on the 109th birthday of Clyde Tombaugh, who discovered the distant icy world in 1930.

[jberryhill]

4. There is already a commemorative stamp!

[Liberal_in_LA]

25. Cute stamp

[brer cat]

5. This is amazing to see.

Thanks for posting.

[Agschmid]

6. Kick!

[roamer65]

7. 4 billion miles away.

Amazing stuff!

[840high]

8. Thanks.

[R B Garr]

9. Awesome! Thanks for this. My husband has The Night Sky app on his phone

and I just told him about this and he jumped on the app. He just looked up some things on the Star Tracker and SkyView App, too. Then we checked the Griffith Observatory to check what they have. He loves this -- Thanks! Looks like they have some events about this coming up.
http://www.griffithobservatory.org/events/Pluto_Events_2015.html

[alfredo]

11. I'm glad I have lived during this great era of exploration.

[AuntPatsy]

12. Definitely amazing

[Binkie The Clown]

13. That's no moon. It's a space station!

[R B Garr]

18. Space Shuttle Endeavour by Randy's Donuts in L.A.

Looked surreal to see it on the streets! We went to watch it fly by from a pier in Long Beach on its final flight, but didn't have the time to watch it go through the streets of L.A. Your post reminded me how funny it looked in those now iconic pictures at the California Science Center. The Endeavour is on display there.

[jalan48]

14. Thanks for posting. Fascinating.

[calimary]

15. Spectacular!

You are spot-on my friend! This IS amazing stuff!

[Sunk in Tupelo]

16. Awesome pics. Thank you for posting this.

Space is so amazing and full of surprises.

[a2liberal]

17. Awesome pictures of an awesome Planet

Yes, I said planet. :-D

[stopwastingmymoney]

19. I notice the article said mini-planet

I don't think I've heard that term before. Interesting

[DirkGently]

21. Wow. n/t

[yewberry]

22. Super neat!

Thank you posting.

(And nice veggies!)

[NRaleighLiberal]

23. kicking for the latest pic - simply amazing

[Baclava]

24. Pluto’s Time to Shine Just Hours Away – A Guide and Timetable

http://www.universetoday.com/121317/plutos-time-to-shine-just-hours-away-a-guide-and-timetable/#more-121317

[arcane1]

26. Yuggoth!!

[Baclava]

27. The Mi-go will be waiting

Last edited Mon Jul 13, 2015, 04:11 PM - Edit history (1)

?itok=2lXROwYY

[Adrahil]

28. Wow. Love this. nt

[randome]

30. Looks like a marble I had as a kid.

[hr][font color="blue"][center]"There is a crack in everything. That's how the light gets in."
Leonard Cohen, Anthem (1992)[/center][/font][hr]

[closeupready]

31. Is it true, it will take 16 months for data from Pluto to arrive on Earth?

So then wouldn't that mean that these photos are from about January of 2014??

[Bad Thoughts]

33. During the flyby, the amount of data won't be transmitted back at once

These pictures are fresh, but the trickle of future information and images may be slow.

ETA: I believe that the fixed antenna means it cannot gather data and transmit at the same time.

[closeupready]

36. Oh, ok, thanks. Makes sense.

[Baclava]

35. New Horizons will be going dark for flyby

Last edited Mon Jul 13, 2015, 02:37 PM - Edit history (1)

[Baclava]

32. WATCH LIVE @ 7:30 a.m. ET TUESDAY: New Horizons Flies by Pluto

http://www.space.com/17933-nasa-television-webcasts-live-space-tv.html