Probe Performs Pluto Pass

weird that they found "mountains" on pluto which they expect to be formed just a few hundred mio years ago

mountains dont appear out of nowhere

hm if plates are moving and also lifting then mountains could be built when there were none before.

would require pluto to have a hot core... which is unlikely considering its small size

a scan of its magnetic field (if it has one) might reveil more

ice plates can also float and create mountains. depending on how strong the gravity has an influence on them. We will see, nevertheless it remains a little rock at the outer region of our solar system. Maybe we will be there when the sun is growing and thats the last place to live^^

there must be a source creating these mountains... i just doubt that pluto has enough gravity
dunno, it also seems to be a local special landmark different from other areas of pluto

its interesting
we are searching for other planets in different solar systems and even try to predict how these worlds look like and then pluto comes by and surprises everybody

isnt charon plutos satellite moon/plant/rock whatever that could cause gravity. Even our moon has an impact on our earth moving. It would suprise me if there were no mountains. Planets become planets because little fragments are forming together to create even more bigger fragments that then again could attrackt further rockets floating around in space. Wouldnt make any sense to me if they supposed yet that pluto remains flat

hmmm
some tide based friction.... indeed that could explain it
however i would assume that it has a more wide spread incfluence on pluto .... such as following the orbit path or its counter path (just the way it happens with the earth moon relationship

i think that pluto is a very good reminder for us.... to show us how little we actually know while we think to know so much

indeed and the good at pluto is - same as for the most moons - you can see how the gravity forms the landscape. It would really interest me to know whats below the jupiter or neptune atmosphere.Do they have a solid surface or are they really gas giants...?

i dont think they turn solid
its more likely that at some point the gas turns fluid and eventually super/hyper-fluid (which would explain how gas forms such large magnetic fields)

The immportant thing is, PLUTO IS BACK

Pluto still ain't a planet

Michael stop following me on every thread!! o.o damn stalker!

And yes, pluto is a planet bitch!

Oh man, I've been waiting since they first launched new horizons for this! So happy! Pluto isn't just a blob without any textures anymore!

yep... is a blob with textures now
... and they are remarkably similar to the ones in CF (j/k)

I find it very unusual that Pluto has four moons and is call a Dwarf Planet. Sure it's smaller than the other planets, but making up a new category to justify personal prejudice in stellar geography is a waste of time and paper. Now, they have looked at Mercury and decided that it's only the core of a rocky planet which is all that is left. It's not even a whole planet by their own standards, so what do we call Mercury now? It is obvious that planetary scientists do not have enough work on their desks since they need to make stuff up to argue about. When NASA said they were going to let Hubble burn up because it was old and no longer worth the time and efforts to keep it going, I suggested to them to attach it to the International Space Station (ISS) for those guys to play with. In the mid 1990's I suggested to NASA to take the External Fuel containers on the Shuttle into orbit and connect them all together to make a big net for space junk. Now, NASA needs an extra Billion dollars a year to defend our satellites and the ISS from space debris. It seems that only bureaucrats can have good ideas. I also gave NASA a second idea for the connected External Fuel Tanks, which was to stretch a reflecting Mylar sheet across them and use that side to shine the Sun down on Earth for; Search & Rescue operations; Disaster relief operations; Special Events or Emergencies that need more daylight. The response I got from NASA was that my ideas were not practical and I should stick with something I am more familiar with. It seems that every country has Bureaucrats that give it's citizens cases of the Galloping-Trots because they themselves cannot think outside the box. Personally, I think they all have their ties tied too tight! I know a lot more about NASA Bureaucrats than they may realize. My Dad built tracking stations all over this planet for them and he liked to do things "the correct way," the first time. He told me that one NASA official kept extending one project's deadline because he could not decide which side he wanted a wall-mounted phone placed. My Dad finally put in a phone on both sides of the console just to get back on schedule. The "NASA Official" was outraged because he did not get to decide where the phone would go or what color they were going to use. Sort of reminds me of our US Congress. I sure am glad that our US Congress did not have to decide what to call Pluto. Who knows what they would have come up with, but whatever it would be, it would cost the taxpayers a lot of money to do it. If it has four moons, it is a planet plain and simple. I certainly do hope that they find some interesting stuff on Pluto, like old ruins or "Flight 19." That would be awesome for everyone.

dwarf planet or planet

thats as tricky to decide as where the river ends and the sea begins