PoC: '''Explanation''': [http://www.seds.org/nineplanets/nineplanets/pluto.html Pluto] is the only planet in our [http://www.fourmilab.ch/solar/solar.html Solar System] remaining unphotographed by a passing spacecraft. Distant [http://www.hawastsoc.org/solar/e

2006-01-17T09:21:43Z

New page

'''Explanation''': [http://www.seds.org/nineplanets/nineplanets/pluto.html Pluto] is the only planet in our [http://www.fourmilab.ch/solar/solar.html Solar System] remaining unphotographed by a passing spacecraft. Distant [http://www.hawastsoc.org/solar/eng/pluto.htm Pluto] and its moon [http://www.seds.org/nineplanets/nineplanets/pluto.html#charon Charon] therefore remain somewhat mysterious. In addition to [http://apod.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960311.html direct imaging] by the [http://www.stsci.edu/hst/ Hubble Space Telescope], careful tracking of brightness changes that occur as each object eclipses the other have allowed astronomers to build up the above [http://www.lowell.edu/users/buie/pluto/plutomap1.html black & white surface maps]. These maps depict the face of [http://apod.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap971228.html Pluto] (left) that always faces Charon, and the face of Charon that always faces away from [http://apod.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960212.html Pluto]. The rectangular [http://machaut.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/WEDT1.sh?word=pixel pixels] are an artifact of the mapping software. The [http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/tmp/PLUTOKE.html Pluto-Kuiper Express] mission was tentatively planned for launch in 2003 with an expected encounter of Pluto around the year 2012. However, this mission was cancelled for budgetary reasons. A new mission to study Pluto and the Kuiper Belt called ''[[New Horizons]]'' is scheduled to launch on [[January 11]], [[2006]], with is expected to fly-by Pluto in July 2015.

'''Credit''': M. W. Buie ([http://www.lowell.edu/ Lowell Observatory]), D. J. Tholen (U. Hawaii), and K. Horne (St. Andrews)

'''Source''': http://apod.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap980708.html

File:Pluto-and-charon.jpg - Revision history

PoC: '''Explanation''': [http://www.seds.org/nineplanets/nineplanets/pluto.html Pluto] is the only planet in our [http://www.fourmilab.ch/solar/solar.html Solar System] remaining unphotographed by a passing spacecraft. Distant [http://www.hawastsoc.org/solar/e