Charon Surface Observations: NH Post-Encounter Phase, 1 Aug 2015- TBD |
Charon Surface Observations: NH Post-Encounter Phase, 1 Aug 2015- TBD |
Aug 1 2015, 06:02 PM
Post
#1
|
|
Merciless Robot Group: Admin Posts: 8785 Joined: 8-December 05 From: Los Angeles Member No.: 602 |
This topic is for images and discussion of same received after 1 Aug 2015.
-------------------- A few will take this knowledge and use this power of a dream realized as a force for change, an impetus for further discovery to make less ancient dreams real.
|
|
|
Aug 2 2015, 07:49 AM
Post
#2
|
|
Junior Member Group: Members Posts: 82 Joined: 13-July 15 Member No.: 7579 |
|
|
|
Aug 2 2015, 02:50 PM
Post
#3
|
|
Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 4256 Joined: 17-January 05 Member No.: 152 |
the Sun is behind the Charon's disc What makes you say that? The size of Charon in that post-encounter frame is roughly similar to its size in this frame: http://pluto.jhuapl.edu/soc/Pluto-Encounte...0x632_sci_1.jpg That pre-encounter frame was taken more than a day before closest approach, so the post-encounter frame had to be taken roughly a day after closest approach. But the Charon-sun occultation occured only 2h 15m after closest approach. So the sun must be outside the frame on that Charon crescent image. |
|
|
Aug 2 2015, 03:56 PM
Post
#4
|
|
Member Group: Members Posts: 244 Joined: 2-March 15 Member No.: 7408 |
The picture fredk linked was taken from a range of 1,462,006 km, according to the metadata file.
The crescent image was taken from a range of 1,986,740 km, according to the metadata file, and since apparent diameter has a simple, inverse relationship with distance, Charon should be about 73.6% the size it was in the image fredk linked. Not that that adds anything to the conversation |
|
|
Aug 4 2015, 06:21 PM
Post
#5
|
|
Junior Member Group: Members Posts: 82 Joined: 13-July 15 Member No.: 7579 |
Checking the orbital positions, there were Charonshine opportunities for imaging Pluto on July 14, July 20, etc. and Plutoshine opportunities for imaging Charon on July 17, July 23, etc. If we get some regional albedo information for the mid-southern latitudes, that would be great. A bonus would be if we get some details and/or could see if Charon has a dark region at the other pole, too. I'd love to see something like the Saturnshine images of Iapetus, but I'm not getting my hopes up. Yes! I hope that Charon has a dark region at the southern pole, because I believe that Mordor Regio resulted from leakage of ice from the equator in the relaxation process of Charon nonsphericity during deceleration of rotation. |
|
|
Lo-Fi Version | Time is now: 26th September 2024 - 08:43 PM |
RULES AND GUIDELINES Please read the Forum Rules and Guidelines before posting. IMAGE COPYRIGHT |
OPINIONS AND MODERATION Opinions expressed on UnmannedSpaceflight.com are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of UnmannedSpaceflight.com or The Planetary Society. The all-volunteer UnmannedSpaceflight.com moderation team is wholly independent of The Planetary Society. The Planetary Society has no influence over decisions made by the UnmannedSpaceflight.com moderators. |
SUPPORT THE FORUM Unmannedspaceflight.com is funded by the Planetary Society. Please consider supporting our work and many other projects by donating to the Society or becoming a member. |