Little Pluto bigger than scientists thought as flyby looms

Maybe New Horizons will find something so interesting that the powers that be will decide to redefine what makes a “planet” yet again. Just because Pluto is bigger than any other known object in the Kuiper Belt does not mean that it’s the most massive or “heaviest”. On the now dwarf planet that was stripped of its planet-hood in 2006, they are saying its size is larger than what was once thought. “We are excited to finally lay this question to rest”.

“You have to really be into delayed gratification if you want to be on this mission”, said New Horizons lead scientist Alan Stern of the Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, Colorado.

Extra fuel has been included along with solar panels that are created to work in far lower light levels than can be found at Pluto’s extreme range.

In the past Pluto’s atmoshpere has made it hard for scientists to determine its exact size.

The latest postings include views of Pluto’s major moon, Charon.

Stern expects two opportunities to celebrate Tuesday: one at the time of closest approach and the other once confirmation is received that New Horizons stayed safe and accomplished its long-awaited mission.

Since its discovery, only a third of Pluto’s year – the time it takes to complete one orbit the sun – has passed.

Nix and Hydra were discovered using the Hubble Space Telescope in 2005.

So we’re talking about roughly a kilometre.

NASA’s New Horizons team says the debate is over: Pluto is the largest of the worlds that patrol the fringe of the solar system.

It is getting exciting for NASA’s Pluto flyby mission team. New Horizons will be approximately 7,800 miles (12,500 kilometers) above the surface at this time. On July 14 the Pluto Countdown Program will air from 7:30am to 8am.

For an idea of how spectacular the final images of Pluto will be, Stern describes an image taken at similar resolution of Earth. “I’m glad that Pluto gets a little bit of a claim to fame by being larger”. The reason the new measurement of Pluto is significant dates back to 2005 when Eris’s size was determined by Palomar Observatory.

“This is a milestone event not only in seeing Pluto, but it’s a milestone event in the human exploration of the solar system. We’re going to be studying the atmosphere of Pluto”, said Cathy Olkin, project scientist. But the spacecraft will also be snapping images as it departs from the icy body and continues on toward the distant, icy Kuiper belt. On Saturday, New Horizons captured the most detailed image yet of Pluto’ surface, showing possible cliffs and craters.