Mercury Flyby 3 |
Mercury Flyby 3 |
Jul 3 2009, 09:27 PM
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#1
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 1018 Joined: 29-November 05 From: Seattle, WA, USA Member No.: 590 |
We're now just one Mercury year (88 days) from flyby #3, which happens on September 29, 2009, so this seems like a good time to start a thread about it.
http://messenger.jhuapl.edu/index.php For comparison purposes, it'd be nice if someone (probably someone on the Messenger team) put together a Mercury Map showing what areas will get better coverage from this flyby than from the previous ones. I realize it'll be very similar to flyby #1, but it won't be exactly the same. After that, it's a long wait until MOI on March 18, 2011. Curiously, that's the same date the New Horizons crosses the orbit of Uranus. http://pluto.jhuapl.edu/mission/passingpla...ets_current.php --Greg |
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Jul 8 2009, 11:32 PM
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#2
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Member Group: Members Posts: 146 Joined: 31-October 08 Member No.: 4473 |
It will also be interesting if any stereo-pair frames are shceduled.
Any further word on the search for "Vulcanoids"? --Mark G. |
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Jul 9 2009, 02:49 PM
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#3
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Member Group: Members Posts: 202 Joined: 9-September 08 Member No.: 4334 |
Probably a dumb question, but what are Vulcanoids - Mercury-crossing asteroids?
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Jul 12 2009, 04:21 PM
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#4
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Member Group: Members Posts: 146 Joined: 31-October 08 Member No.: 4473 |
Probably a dumb question, but what are Vulcanoids - Mercury-crossing asteroids? There is a Wikipedia, but the short answer is that Vulcanoids are a purported group of small bodies orbiting inside Mercury's orbit. Messenger can look for them when at perigee -- looking at an angle away from the sun, but still look at space inside Mercury's orbit. |
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Jul 12 2009, 04:27 PM
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#5
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 3652 Joined: 1-October 05 From: Croatia Member No.: 523 |
Messenger can look for them when at perigee I think you meant perihelion. -------------------- |
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