# New high-resolution photos of Pluto coming back! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 11, 2015, 9:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-high-resolution-photos-of-pluto-coming-back/730657 "2015-09-11T09:13:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2015, 9:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-high-resolution-photos-of-pluto-coming-back/730657/1 "2015-09-11T09:13:03Z")
[From _New Scientist_](https://www.newscientist.com/article/pluto-dazzles-in-first-new-images-downloaded-since-julys-flyby/): > [@](#): > > High resolution images, saved on the hard drive of the New Horizons probe since it flew past Pluto in July, are now streaming back to Earth. The image on the page would be noteworthy were it of a place on Earth, let alone a region of Pluto, a place so far from Earth it takes an average of seven hours for any information at all to travel from there to here. (That is, the average distance from Earth to Pluto is 7.5 billion kilometers, which works out to about seven light-hours, which is a much more scientific unit of measurement than anything based on the meter, let alone the metre.) [More straight from the horse’s mouth.](http://pluto.jhuapl.edu/Multimedia/Science-Photos/view.php?gallery_id=2) ---
**Author:** ![Sophistry\_and\_Illusion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@Sophistry\_and\_Illusion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sophistry_and_Illusion)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2015, 10:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-high-resolution-photos-of-pluto-coming-back/730657/2 "2015-09-11T10:07:06Z")
Well, somebody has a sense of humor: [“At the bottom is an old, crater-scarred surface informally called Cthulhu Regio.”](https://www.newscientist.com/article/pluto-dazzles-in-first-new-images-downloaded-since-julys-flyby/) ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2015, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-high-resolution-photos-of-pluto-coming-back/730657/3 "2015-09-11T14:07:04Z")
> [@Derleth](#): > > …, which works out to about seven light-hours, which is a much more scientific unit of measurement than anything based on the meter, let alone the metre.) > > … The meter is defined by the speed of light in a vacuum, a fixed fraction of a light year by definition (and hence a fixed fraction of a light hour), so basally they are the same. True at one time the meter was no so fixed, but then again neither was the speed of light to us. ---
**Author:** ![stillownedbysetters](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/41988e/32.png) [@stillownedbysetters](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stillownedbysetters)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2015, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-high-resolution-photos-of-pluto-coming-back/730657/4 "2015-09-11T18:00:39Z")
Nice photography! Is that the stick Mickey threw for him that he’s got in his mouth? ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2015, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-high-resolution-photos-of-pluto-coming-back/730657/5 "2015-09-11T18:49:53Z")
Impressive. I’m thinking the _New Horizons_ mission might rank among the 100 best things the human race has ever done. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2015, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-high-resolution-photos-of-pluto-coming-back/730657/6 "2015-09-11T20:25:47Z")
> [@kanicbird](#): > > The meter is defined by the speed of light in a vacuum, a fixed fraction of a light year by definition (and hence a fixed fraction of a light hour), so basally they are the same. > > True at one time the meter was no so fixed, but then again neither was the speed of light to us. Sure, but when it was originally devised, it was 1/10,000,000th the distance between the North Pole and the Equator, which is pretty arbitrary. Every ‘better’ method of defining a meter has been really close to that original distance, and is just a more solid and reproducible method to define the same old thing. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2015, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-high-resolution-photos-of-pluto-coming-back/730657/7 "2015-09-11T21:55:26Z")
> [@kanicbird](#): > > The meter is defined by the speed of light in a vacuum, a fixed fraction of a light year by definition (and hence a fixed fraction of a light hour), so basally they are the same. You can say the exact same thing about the mile, then. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2015, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-high-resolution-photos-of-pluto-coming-back/730657/8 "2015-09-11T22:47:51Z")
Some of the “informal” names for features on Charon: Tardis Chiasma Vader Crater Skywalker Crater Kirk Crater Kubrick Mons Sulu Crater Uhura Crater Spock Crater. McCoy, Checkov and Scottie got screwed. ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2015, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-high-resolution-photos-of-pluto-coming-back/730657/9 "2015-09-12T03:15:10Z")
I guess Pubis Mons would have been undignified? ---
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2015, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-high-resolution-photos-of-pluto-coming-back/730657/10 "2015-09-17T22:51:03Z")
[The latest batch of images.](http://pluto.jhuapl.edu/News-Center/News-Article.php?page=20150917) [Just to pick one](http://pluto.jhuapl.edu/Multimedia/Science-Photos/pics/Pluto-Mountains-Plains%209-17-15.jpg): The caption doesn’t say anything about the vertical scale being exaggerated; I realize Pluto is a pretty small world, but boy do those mountains look spectacular! ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2015, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-high-resolution-photos-of-pluto-coming-back/730657/11 "2015-09-17T23:23:00Z")
> [@MEBuckner](#): > > but boy do those mountains look spectacular! Indeed. It would be fun to hop over them. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Panic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/don_t_panic/32/398_2.png) [@Don\_t\_Panic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Panic)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2015, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-high-resolution-photos-of-pluto-coming-back/730657/12 "2015-09-17T23:26:16Z")
> [@Napier](#): > > I guess Pubis Mons would have been undignified? I’m pretty sure that’s on Venus. ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2015, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-high-resolution-photos-of-pluto-coming-back/730657/13 "2015-09-18T13:59:26Z")
The “Chaos Region” looks kind of like an elephant’s eyes and trunk to me. Fascinating to see this stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2015, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-high-resolution-photos-of-pluto-coming-back/730657/14 "2015-09-18T14:04:37Z")
NM ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2015, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-high-resolution-photos-of-pluto-coming-back/730657/15 "2015-09-18T16:26:50Z")
> [@MEBuckner](#): > > [The latest batch of images.](http://pluto.jhuapl.edu/News-Center/News-Article.php?page=20150917) > > [Just to pick one](http://pluto.jhuapl.edu/Multimedia/Science-Photos/pics/Pluto-Mountains-Plains%209-17-15.jpg): The caption doesn’t say anything about the vertical scale being exaggerated; I realize Pluto is a pretty small world, but boy do those mountains look spectacular! I was going to single out that exact image. Just totally captures the imagination, doesn’t it? Amazing.