Pluto Has 2 "New" Moons

Palomar · 2005-10-31 15:03:37

http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/0 … moons.html

*Yes, I know SpaceNut posted a similar article in the "New Horizons & SWAP" thread in the Unmanned Probes folder, but IMO this very (understatement) important discovery deserves its own thread. WOW.

They're estimated to be between 30 to 100 miles in diameter; their orbit puts them 27,000 miles from Pluto which is twice the distance as Charon; they are 5,000 times dimmer than Charon. Hubble was the instrument used in the discovery.

Scientists are wondering if Pluto might possess yet another moon or moons; are 3 "it"?

The biggest mystery of all: How can a celestial body 70% the size of our Luna have 3 satellites? This needs explaining...yep.

This is fabulous. One scientist predicted the discovery of more satellites for Pluto prior to this...he must be elated.

--Cindy

SpaceNut · 2005-10-31 15:17:30

What should not be all that surprising thou is to which telescope we celerbrate this new discovery though. Yes you guessed it Hubble, just still doing its thing while hanging around. As the article notes this one was easy for Hubble:

The moon-hunting project was denied by Hubble planners several times and took years to get approved, and only then after a failed instrument on Hubble last year caused project leaders to add several previously unaccepted observing programs to fill the schedule.

Just say wow....

John Creighton · 2005-10-31 15:19:34

The biggest mystery of all: How can a celestial body 70% the size of our Luna have 3 satellites? This needs explaining...yep.
This is fabulous. One scientist predicted the discovery of more satellites for Pluto prior to this...he must be elated.
--Cindy

I find it amazing how they keep discovering new stuff about the solar system. However, I wonder if they try to make this sound like a mystery to keep people more interested. The simple fact that Pluto is further away from the sun means that objects can be further away and still be in the gravitational influence of pluto rather then sun. Also how big are these objects anyway. If the moons were big they would cause Pluto to wobble but very slowly.

flashgordon · 2005-10-31 16:33:04

This is hardly a mystery; when we first got pictures of asteroids in space from the Galileo probe if I recall correctly, we discovered a small asteroid gravitationally bound to a rather big asteroid!

Palomar · 2005-10-31 17:02:43

I wonder if they try to make this sound like a mystery to keep people more interested...Also how big are these objects anyway. If the moons were big they would cause Pluto to wobble but very slowly.

*Hi John: From the article:

The two new moons are between 30 and 100 miles (45 to 160 kilometers) in diameter

"It's almost like a mini solar system," Weaver said. "How can something about 70 percent the size of Earth's Moon have all these satellites? How can that happen? We're going to have to explain that."

They seem rather certain the 2 "new" moons orbit in the same plane as Charon. More observation time by HST is scheduled for February; confirmation and also to determine the orbits.

Doesn't surprise me that more discoveries about our solar system keep steadily rolling in. A lot of pro telescope time (don't ask me for a ratio because I don't know) is spent on "deep sky" objects (nebulae, galaxies, quasars, etc.); Hubble aside (said comment not to be taken lightly) there are only so many ground-based scopes and night-time hours. Quite a bit of HST's time has been spent on "deep sky" objects as well. And probes are only, what, 40 years into history? Fortunately we've more sophisticated pro telescopes than ever before, and also quite a few amateurs with large 'scopes (12+ inches).

We're just beginning to learn about our solar system.

--Cindy

SpaceNut · 2005-11-01 08:29:49

More excitement from the builders of the probe that will visit the newly discovered moon system of pluto:
Boulder team helps find two new moons of Pluto

The Hubble observations were conducted specifically to search for faint Pluto moons that could be studied when New Horizons zips past the planet in 2015.
"We've been talking about it in the hallway here. Everybody's been jumping up and down with excitement," said University of Colorado planetary scientist Fran Bagenal, a member of the New Horizons team.
"One moon is pretty cool but three, that's really cool," she said.
A supersensitive Boulder-built camera aboard Hubble detected the two moons, which are roughly 5,000 times fainter than Pluto.

This sure will give the mission some timing challenges as it flybys pluto on its way out to the kelper belt.

SpaceNut · 2005-11-11 07:11:58

First Mission to Pluto and the Kuiper Belt
From Darkness to Light: The Exploration of the Planet Pluto 2005 Lecture:
Presented by Dr. Bonnie Buratti
JPL Principal Investigator & Science Team, New Horizons Mission to Pluto
Nov. 17 and 18 - Lecture Series/Webcast
Exploration of Pluto

Click here on Thursday at 7 p.m. PST for the webcast.

John Creighton · 2005-11-11 16:26:14

Click here on Thursday at 7 p.m. PST for the webcast.

Spacenut, I don't know that file type. How do I view it? Is it safe?

SpaceNut · 2005-11-11 17:37:03

yes safe Nasa webcast site using Real one Player which appears on the lecture page as RealPlayer 8 Basic which is the old player by Real.com.

SpaceNut · 2006-08-23 21:17:15

Thou these have been significant in trying to define Pluto as more planet like but because of its orbit coming inside Neptunes for a while it is felt to be not a planet but a kelper belt object or part of the ort cloud. The recent defining of what is a planet has many all a stir for it could make our solar system have as few as 8 and as many as 14 or higher as time passes on. Some have even come up with a few new class identifiers as well such as dwarf, Pluton's and gas giants. Since pluto's moon Charon does not orbit a center of gravity but the swap roles it is thought that they may be called a binary planet.

Josh Cryer · 2006-08-24 21:15:48

I like the new definition they are using. It's brilliant.

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#1 2005-10-31 15:03:37

Re: Pluto Has 2 "New" Moons

#2 2005-10-31 15:17:30

Re: Pluto Has 2 "New" Moons

#3 2005-10-31 15:19:34

Re: Pluto Has 2 "New" Moons

#4 2005-10-31 16:33:04

Re: Pluto Has 2 "New" Moons

#5 2005-10-31 17:02:43

Re: Pluto Has 2 "New" Moons

#6 2005-11-01 08:29:49

Re: Pluto Has 2 "New" Moons

#7 2005-11-11 07:11:58

Re: Pluto Has 2 "New" Moons

#8 2005-11-11 16:26:14

Re: Pluto Has 2 "New" Moons

#9 2005-11-11 17:37:03

Re: Pluto Has 2 "New" Moons

#10 2006-08-23 21:17:15

Re: Pluto Has 2 "New" Moons

#11 2006-08-24 21:15:48

Re: Pluto Has 2 "New" Moons

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