A Sunset on Pluto

...or is it a sunrise? Anyway, the point is, it is beautiful.



New Horizon snapped these pictures the 14th of July, as it swung by Pluto. The pictures have just been released, and they show a landscape some 780 miles large, with the Sun behind the planet.



Source

The backlight type illumination is really enhancing Pluto's features, especially near the termination line, which is quite visible here.

Quite breathtaking for a celestial body who was demoted from the rank of "planet"...

Just awesome.

originally posted by: swanne

Awesome photos!

Quite breathtaking for a celestial body who was demoted from the rank of "planet"...

Hey, it doesn't have to be a planet to look cool or have cool features.

originally posted by: swanne

Just awesome.

Yes it is -

it's neither a sunrise nor sunset, way, way too far away. the "sun" would be a tiny speck of dust, barely, if at all, visible.

The photo is chilling. ha ha

a reply to: jimmyx

Still qualifies. "Sunrise" and "sunset" are not dependent on the distance to the Sun, they only requires the presence of the Sun and the presence of a planetary rotation motion.

a reply to: swanne

I wish I can be in Pluto to see the actual sunrise and sunset. I'm pretty sure it would be even more breathtaking.

Btw where's that ATS member with the beautiful Pluto Avatar? I'm pretty sure he/she would loved to see this.

originally posted by: starwarsisreal
I wish I can be in Pluto to see the actual sunrise and sunset. I'm pretty sure it would be even more breathtaking.

Be sure to bring milk. It's a long way to the store if you run out.

originally posted by: Krazysh0t


Hey, it doesn't have to be a planet to look cool or have cool features.

Quite right, quite right.

It is during such moments that one realizes that the universe is full of wonders; that it is just so much bigger than ourselves.

If only Man could stop fighting on the little planet we have, and, just for the moment of an instant, gaze up at the bigger picture...

* . ' . °•` °. `* ' . °* . ' . °•` °. `* ' . °* . ' . °•` °. `* ' . °* . '. `* ' . °* . ' . °•`
. ' + . * ' . ';• , ' ° • . ' + . * ' . ';• , ' ° • . ' + . * ' . ';• . ' + . * ' . ';• , ' ° •. ' +. '
' . •°' . + '* . ' . °•' . •°' . + '* . ' . °•' . •°' . + '* . ' . °•' . + '* . ' . ° •°' . + '*
` °. `* ' . ° . ' + . * ' .` °. `* ' . ° . ' + . * ' .` °. `* ' . ° . ' + . * ' .` °. `* ' + . * ' .

Pluto wants its "Planet" back.

originally posted by: jimmyx
it's neither a sunrise nor sunset, way, way too far away. the "sun" would be a tiny speck of dust, barely, if at all, visible.

One sides in darkness and the other in light. That's a sunrise & sunset by definition.... dude!

Anyway.... s&f from me, I love this kind of stuff.

When are us humans gonna stop being just a primitive life form and start inhabiting these amazing planets? We're just a bunch of useless primitive primates, until we start inhabiting other worlds.

If we can see sunlight, the sun would be visible. It appears to be above the camera frame, too bad its not in the shot to give a size reference.

I wonder if it would be visible as a brilliant dot or if a disk would be visible?

originally posted by: intrptr

I wonder if it would be visible as a brilliant dot or if a disk would be visible?

Let me compute that for ya...

Edit:

All right. According to my calculations, the Sun would appear as a bright dot, some 0.006743639 of a degree in Pluto's sky. For comparison, Sirius is about 0.005 of a degree as seen from Earth.

Lovely, thanks for posting.

originally posted by: swanne

originally posted by: intrptr

I wonder if it would be visible as a brilliant dot or if a disk would be visible?

Let me compute that for ya...

Edit:

All right. According to my calculations, the Sun would appear as a bright dot, some 0.006743639 of a degree in Pluto's sky. For comparison, Sirius is about 0.005 of a degree as seen from Earth.

I would double check your calculation for the sun.

a reply to: swanne

Amazing. Almost unbelievable that they are able to transmit data across so long distances.

originally posted by: intrptr
If we can see sunlight, the sun would be visible. It appears to be above the camera frame, too bad its not in the shot to give a size reference.

I wonder if it would be visible as a brilliant dot or if a disk would be visible?

The sun would look like a fat star, remember the pictures of Pluto's surface are captured by a camera the light level you see in the picture is nothing like your eye would see.

That is beautiful.. Mountains of liquid Nitrogen, Carbon Dioxide, Ice, Methane and who knows what else...

originally posted by: Krazysh0t
originally posted by: swanne

Awesome photos!

Quite breathtaking for a celestial body who was demoted from the rank of "planet"...

Hey, it doesn't have to be a planet to look cool or have cool features.

Correct!
I am not a planet.

originally posted by: swanne

originally posted by: intrptr

I wonder if it would be visible as a brilliant dot or if a disk would be visible?

Let me compute that for ya...

Edit:

All right. According to my calculations, the Sun would appear as a bright dot, some 0.006743639 of a degree in Pluto's sky. For comparison, Sirius is about 0.005 of a degree as seen from Earth.

Using decimal points of a degree? What is this new sorcery?

According to Stellarium, the Sun appears approximately 0°00'60'' (sixty arcseconds) across, about the same as Venus can appear from Earth when it's at its largest. In comparison, Sirius is only 0.006 arcseconds across as seen from Earth.

The Sun's immense brightness would probably make it appear even larger.