New Horizons Ultima Thule Flyby

[popeyespappy]

Meh, I've seen pixels before.  Not that excited by these ones.

I have to agree. They said we'd see pictures from the flyby today. Instead, we get one image taken from half a million kilometers away. Very disappointing. Eventually we should see images with a 30-meter resolution.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

I'm impressed that we see any image at all from that distance. Blasé lot.

[popeyespappy]

First decent image...

[Jackalope]

So, instead of a dirty snowball, we have a dirty snowman. Cool..

[Gawdzilla Sama]

So, instead of a dirty snowball, we have a dirty snowman.  Cool..

Naughty snowman, not dirty.

[Jackalope]

So, instead of a dirty snowball, we have a dirty snowman.  Cool..

Naughty snowman, not dirty.  

Slut-shaming astronomical objects FTW

[Anomalocaris]

So, instead of a dirty snowball, we have a dirty snowman.  Cool..

Naughty snowman, not dirty.  

Liberated free spirited snowman.

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First decent image...

The fact that it seems to consist of two objects in contact, both of which are close to spherical, suggest to me the components were very close to being primordial result of initial accretion of dust particles little modified by subsequent impacts or other disturbances.

If so, then these two aren’t just the remnant of original accretionary objects like asteroids, but they are original accretionary objects.

We’ll see.

[popeyespappy]

If so, then these two aren’t just the remnant of original accretionary objects like asteroids, but they are original accretionary objects.

We’ll see.

I believe that is what they were hoping for when they chose Ultima Thule for a flyby.

[Anomalocaris]

If so, then these two aren’t just the remnant of original accretionary objects like asteroids, but they are original accretionary objects.

We’ll see.

I believe that is what they were hoping for when they chose Ultima Thule for a flyby.

If we put the technical difficulties of finding and the sending New Horizon to image this object from earth into perspective,  we can liken its discovery to finding a object approximately half the size of a Twix bar, with reflectivity similar to a Twix bar, illuminated by moon light, from 5000 miles away.

Having new horizon send back images of it can be likened to using transmitter transmitting with as much power as would be released if 1 average bacteria were to fall a distance of 1cm on earth gravity every second, and receiving the signal, differentiating it from background noise, and construct a image from the data it contains, from 5000 miles away.

Think of that.  12 watts.   Received and interpreted 4.4 billion miles away.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Ummmmm, chocolate.