Pluto Surface Observations 1: NH Post-Encounter Phase, 1 Aug 2015- 10 Oct 2015 Options

[fredk]

According to this pdf document the nominal scan rate is 1600 microrad/s for the panchromatic band.

But regardless, the scanning may have not been at a constant rate. The same document states

When the target is sufficiently close that the effective rotation rate induced by the relative motion of the target and the spacecraft changes during the scan, the scan becomes more complex. In this case, the rotation rate of the spacecraft is changed during the scan by thruster firings.

If that scan mode was used for the crescent image, then there's not much we can do to test for sphericity of the limb without detailed information of the rotation rate during the exposure.

[Superstring]

Neat to see how the snows accumulate in some areas fast enough to actually form glaciers that return to Sputnik, I wouldn't have called that one. The rate of precipitation clearly outpaces sublimation. Oh geez... now the thought occurs to me that some day we're going to see a paper published that describes just what form this exotic precipitation would take, just like we saw papers about how rain on Titan must look and behave!

My understanding is that nitrogen deposits on Pluto's surface, but doesn't snow per se (defining snow as frozen precipitation falling from clouds). In other words, more like what happens on Iapetus than on Titan. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

[JRehling]

I never expected the flyby to result in some of the most spectacular, weird and memorable images that I have ever seen of a solar system body. Plus the fact that Pluto has turned out to be far more interesting than I was expecting (and I *did* expect it to be interesting). A major surprise to me is also that Pluto is totally different from Triton…

Aesthetically, this image reminds me of the Viking shot of Mars looking at the haze layers over Argyre. But that image didn't surprise us regarding Mars' surface features (though perhaps the haze layers were informative). With Pluto, this is a complete combination of beauty and wonder and the layperson isn't too much more confused than the expert.

It's stunning that the last four worlds in the solar system (over a radius of, say, 400 km) we saw close-up were Titan, Pluto, Charon, and Ceres, and they have been completely full of surprises. (And Triton and Iapetus were two of the last before that.) You'd think that after having seen over a dozen large worlds, the ideas would start to zero in on understanding, but no – we're still getting surprised.

[alan]

New feature at the LORRI site, we can now sort images by download date.
http://pluto.jhuapl.edu/soc/Pluto-Encounte...er=downlinkDate

My thanks to those involved.

[Burmese]

If Pluto is steadily losing this atmosphere we see in the new images, at the rates reported earlier, it would seem to me that the whole planet is slowly vaporizing away over the eons by churning up materials to replenish that atmosphere.

[Charles]

I agree with Bjorn: Pluto is more interesting that Triton .... and that's *without* any obvious signs of geysers thus far.

Here's the full crescent in color; the registration should be more accurate this time.

[attachment=37888:Pluto_Cr...nt_Color.jpg]

PNG version: http://s28.postimg.org/6jskv7363/Pluto_Crescent_Color.png

No "obvious signs of geysers thus far." And yet those mountains in the center keep looking like gigantic versions of ice volcanos on Lake Michigan to me.

Attached thumbnail(s)

 

[HSchirmer]

My understanding is that nitrogen deposits on Pluto's surface, but doesn't snow per se (defining snow as frozen precipitation falling from clouds). In other words, more like what happens on Iapetus than on Titan. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

I don't think anyone has a definite answer on that yet.
However, Pluto is expected to have a (mostly) N2 atmosphere in balance with a (mostly) N2 surface,
as a result of sublimation (solid to gas) and deposition (gas to solid).

IIRC, frost and snow are solids from the atmosphere, while dew and water beading on a cold surface are liquid from the atmosphere. Rain and freezing rain are precipitation (solids) that melt on the way down, while snow is precipitation that stays solid all the way down.

[scalbers]

If there is great interest in one area over another, let me know.

Yes these morphs are interesting to look at. I'd like to suggest the area I've annotated between "A", "B", and "C" in the comparison shown in post #277. Is it possible to slow the animation slightly?

[belleraphon1]

I look at this scene and think of Lovecraft. He must be smiling. We have found the Mountains of Madness. Mad Bad Scenery.
Yuggoth has not disappointed.

Craig

[ZLD]

I just input the duration of the animation and it will interpolate that many frames for the given frame rate (usually use 24fps to save on space). What speed would be best?

[scalbers]

How about a duration of twice as long? This might depend on the complexity of the scene. My A,B,C triangle may be a good Mountains of Madness view.

[Mercure]

I agree with Bjorn: Pluto is more interesting that Triton .... and that's *without* any obvious signs of geysers thus far.

Here's the full crescent in color; the registration should be more accurate this time.

Oh dear, just fabulous! I'm interested in knowing about the colouring of the atmosphere too.

Is there a way of removing the striping imaging artifact? - That would make the panorama perfect.

Truly an image for the ages. There is nothing like backlighting for drama, and now it seems, science too.

[Herobrine]

One new LORRI frame has been added in SOC.
http://pluto.jhuapl.edu/soc/Pluto-Encounte...0x630_sci_4.jpg
It was published at 2015-09-18 20:56:47 GMT.

[ugordan]

Is there a way of removing the striping imaging artifact? - That would make the panorama perfect.

It looks to me like the striping is down at the quantization noise level. The prognosis for removing that is not very good in my experience.

[JohnVV]

Is there a way of removing the striping imaging artifact? - That would make the panorama perfect.

it looks like a "saw tooth" curve was applied to it
http://pluto.jhuapl.edu/Multimedia/Science...mp;image_id=308

the "raw'ish" jpgs of the atmosphere
http://pluto.jhuapl.edu/soc/Pluto-Encounte...0x630_sci_3.jpg
do not show it too much

it is described here
http://pluto.jhuapl.edu/Multimedia/Science...mp;image_id=282

The left version has had only minor processing, while the right version has been specially processed to reveal a large number of discrete haze layers in the atmosphere.