APOD: Charon: Moon of Pluto (2015 Oct 02)

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APOD: Charon: Moon of Pluto (2015 Oct 02)

Post by APOD Robot » Fri Oct 02, 2015 4:06 am

Image Charon: Moon of Pluto

Explanation: A darkened and mysterious north polar region informally known as Mordor Macula caps this premier high-resolution portrait of Charon, Pluto's largest moon. Captured by New Horizons near its closest approach on July 14, the image data was transmitted to Earth on September 21. The combined blue, red, and infrared data is processed to enhance colors, following variations in surface properties with a resolution of about 2.9 kilometers (1.8 miles). In fact, Charon is 1,214 kilometers (754 miles) across, about 1/10th the size of planet Earth but a whopping 1/2 the diameter of Pluto itself. That makes it the largest satellite relative to its planet in the solar system. This remarkable image of Charon's Pluto-facing hemisphere shows a clearer view of an apparently moon-girdling belt of fractures and canyons that seems to separate smooth southern plains from varied northern terrain.

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Re: APOD: Charon: Moon of Pluto (2015 Oct 02)

Post by Ann » Fri Oct 02, 2015 4:16 am

Image
So Charon is a gray guy with a red hat.

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old dude

Re: APOD: Charon: Moon of Pluto (2015 Oct 02)

Post by old dude » Fri Oct 02, 2015 4:33 am

Nice picture, but kind of boring. Why is there no Milky Way and a thunderstorm in the background? Okay, I get the 'no thunderstorm part', but why no Milky way? :shock:

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Re: APOD: Charon: Moon of Pluto (2015 Oct 02)

Post by Mactavish » Fri Oct 02, 2015 6:14 am

old dude wrote:Nice picture, but kind of boring. Why is there no Milky Way and a thunderstorm in the background? Okay, I get the 'no thunderstorm part', but why no Milky way? :shock:
It's behind the camera.

Guest

Re: APOD: Charon: Moon of Pluto (2015 Oct 02)

Post by Guest » Fri Oct 02, 2015 9:24 am

Why so cynical? This is one of the most amazing, incredible pictures ever to appear on APOD!

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Re: APOD: Charon: Moon of Pluto (2015 Oct 02)

Post by RocketDoug » Fri Oct 02, 2015 11:22 am

It looks like the back of Darth Vader's head.

PanamaBen

Re: APOD: Charon: Moon of Pluto (2015 Oct 02)

Post by PanamaBen » Fri Oct 02, 2015 12:27 pm

Was wondering what Earth would look like if it was barren.

capt obvious

Re: APOD: Charon: Moon of Pluto (2015 Oct 02)

Post by capt obvious » Fri Oct 02, 2015 12:40 pm

It is nice to see that someone still considers Pluto a planet. Charon is the largest moon relative to its "planet". :)

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Re: APOD: Charon: Moon of Pluto (2015 Oct 02)

Post by neufer » Fri Oct 02, 2015 12:48 pm

Click to play embedded YouTube video.
RocketDoug wrote:
It looks like the back of Darth Vader's head.
Art Neuendorffer

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Re: APOD: Charon: Moon of Pluto (2015 Oct 02)

Post by BMAONE23 » Fri Oct 02, 2015 1:34 pm

old dude wrote:Nice picture, but kind of boring. Why is there no Milky Way and a thunderstorm in the background? Okay, I get the 'no thunderstorm part', but why no Milky way? :shock:
Look at yourself in the bathroom mirror...the galactic center is the reflection of you in the mirror. Now imagine a great disk of material, about 10' in diameter, swirling around your reflections waist that extends as far again behind the physical you and is parallel to the floor. The reflection of you is the galactic center, the disk is the galactic plane and the physical you is the solar system. Now that you have located your home solar system, hold out your arm and lift it up about half way between your head and the ceiling look at a spot about an inch in diameter around your index finger, this is Pluto and the area in the image. Do you see any of the thin disk you imagined in that area?

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Re: APOD: Charon: Moon of Pluto (2015 Oct 02)

Post by Ann » Fri Oct 02, 2015 1:59 pm

PanamaBen wrote:Was wondering what Earth would look like if it was barren.
It would look something like this.

A fascinating thing about the Earth is that it does have continents, and they would be visible even without the oceans.

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tmiller@d211.org

Re: APOD: Charon: Moon of Pluto (2015 Oct 02)

Post by tmiller@d211.org » Fri Oct 02, 2015 2:03 pm

We need more cats

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Re: APOD: Charon: Moon of Pluto (2015 Oct 02)

Post by Ron-Astro Pharmacist » Fri Oct 02, 2015 2:54 pm

Really – No rille on the upper half of Charon? What gives or didn't on top? At least they look like lunar rille.

Groovy. 8-)
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Re: APOD: Charon: Moon of Pluto (2015 Oct 02)

Post by Donnageddon » Fri Oct 02, 2015 3:00 pm

Ann wrote:
PanamaBen wrote:Was wondering what Earth would look like if it was barren.
It would look something like this.

A fascinating thing about the Earth is that it does have continents, and they would be visible even without the oceans.

Ann
Though the relief in that image is highly exaggerated.

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Re: APOD: Charon: Moon of Pluto (2015 Oct 02)

Post by Bellerophon » Fri Oct 02, 2015 3:29 pm

old dude wrote:Nice picture, but kind of boring. Why is there no Milky Way and a thunderstorm in the background? Okay, I get the 'no thunderstorm part', but why no Milky way? :shock:
Hasn't the time passed for taking APOD to task for the purty picture of 29 Sep?

Charon is another of those bodies that doesn't have enough gravity to do a good job of smoothing out impact damage. My first reaction to this photo was, "Sorry about the car, Dad."

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Re: APOD: Charon: Moon of Pluto (2015 Oct 02)

Post by starsurfer » Fri Oct 02, 2015 4:23 pm

Wow! Emily Lakdawalla must be the happiest woman on Earth right now! :D

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Re: APOD: Charon: Moon of Pluto (2015 Oct 02)

Post by MarkBour » Fri Oct 02, 2015 4:28 pm

The craters on Charon are much more clearly visible than on Pluto. Even on Charon, though, they appear to be considerably less numerous than the craters on our own Moon. Thanks, APOD, for this ongoing banquet of images from New Horizons ... keep them coming, I'm not too full yet.

Pluto a planet? I think the politicians should step in and give us a good legal definition. E.g. "Our solar system has 9 planets. These are the 9 objects in the system for which we have a planetary governor. The planetary governors meet each month in Las Vegas, NV and they each provide taxation/tribute to the Supremely Sovereign Systemic Liege, based on the population of their planets and a roll of the dice."
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Re: APOD: Charon: Moon of Pluto (2015 Oct 02)

Post by Ann » Fri Oct 02, 2015 4:42 pm

Donnageddon wrote:
Though the relief in that image is highly exaggerated.
That's true.
tmiller@d211.org wrote:
We need more cats
We certainly do!!! :kitty: But maybe Charon is Pluto's cat.
Bellerophon wrote:
Charon is another of those bodies that doesn't have enough gravity to do a good job of smoothing out impact damage. My first reaction to this photo was, "Sorry about the car, Dad."
Yes, Charon is a bit of a car wreck of a moon. He is a battered old man, or cat. With a red hat.

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Re: APOD: Charon: Moon of Pluto (2015 Oct 02)

Post by BMAONE23 » Fri Oct 02, 2015 5:15 pm

Ann wrote:
Donnageddon wrote:
Though the relief in that image is highly exaggerated.
That's true.
tmiller@d211.org wrote:
We need more cats
We certainly do!!! :kitty: But maybe Charon is Pluto's cat.
Bellerophon wrote:
Charon is another of those bodies that doesn't have enough gravity to do a good job of smoothing out impact damage. My first reaction to this photo was, "Sorry about the car, Dad."
Yes, Charon is a bit of a car wreck of a moon. He is a battered old man, or cat. With a red hat.

Ann

Why is Charon's Northern cap RED?
Sunburn

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Re: APOD: Charon: Moon of Pluto (2015 Oct 02)

Post by Ron-Astro Pharmacist » Fri Oct 02, 2015 5:48 pm

I Give Up.jpg
I Give Up.jpg (5.39 KiB) Viewed 9131 times
Why are they so different?
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rpehlm

Re: APOD: Charon: Moon of Pluto (2015 Oct 02)

Post by rpehlm » Fri Oct 02, 2015 8:02 pm

Why do most of Charon's craters have a central peak?

Sawngrighter

Re: APOD: Charon: Moon of Pluto (2015 Oct 02)

Post by Sawngrighter » Fri Oct 02, 2015 8:04 pm

Another ice ball?

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Re: APOD: Charon: Moon of Pluto (2015 Oct 02)

Post by neufer » Fri Oct 02, 2015 9:24 pm

Click to play embedded YouTube video.
rpehlm wrote:
Why do most of Charon's craters have a central peak?
Rebound :arrow:
Art Neuendorffer

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Re: APOD: Charon: Moon of Pluto (2015 Oct 02)

Post by Boomer12k » Sat Oct 03, 2015 2:45 am

I think something HIT the southern hemisphere...sunk much of it, caused Rilles..as things moved and then cooled. The Dark Material is some ejecti, from some type of geyser or something. Or something scraped through there...there is a depression there...almost like...No...couldn't be....MINED?????

Well...OK...some sort of EJECTI.....as it is powdered over some of the Rays of craters, like the one on the right side of the depression. If the crater was later, the material would be Lighter and on top of the Red? I think so. There is a partial looking crater on the left. The pattern looks like it goes left to right, and North....if an object hit a Mountain...at an ANGLE...then the spread of the debris might look similar? Momentum and direction?
There is also a GOUGE in the upper right, More Rilles on the far side?

Absolutely Fantastic Image and a Fascinating place....

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Re: APOD: Charon: Moon of Pluto (2015 Oct 02)

Post by BMAONE23 » Sat Oct 03, 2015 5:44 am

Tis most unfortunate that we will have to wait another 124 years to be able to send another probe and image the other side of these worlds when the south polar region is in full sun

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