As the New Horizons team continues its countdown to the space probe’s closest approach to Pluto on Tuesday morning, it continues to release snapshots of the icy rock. Today’s image, taken by the black-and-white LORRI camera, shows four evenly-spaced spots on the side that faces Charon, Pluto’s largest moon.
The team has seen these features before, but the extra detail in this shot is important to the mission’s Geology, Geophysics and Imaging team. Pluto and Charon are tidally locked, orbiting around a central point with the same faces always pointing toward each other. That means the dwarf planet’s spotted face will be turned away from New Horizons when it passes by; this is the last time the team will have a chance to see the spots up close.
Dancing With Fools 
Not exactly up close.
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@ the Nuevo Vallarta for the usual via a new stick walk route: up Valley Road to a left turn onto Brandi Way and thence Terre View Blvd; left again to the west to Missouri Flat Creek and south along the Grand Avenue Greenway.
To my surprise, this took but 45 minutes. Assuming my usual 2.4+ mph that is but 1.8+ miles. Seems longer so maybe I was fast today.
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And then 10 more minutes back home for a 55 minute start to the week.
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HELLOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Here I am!
I rolled the door down, cretin time approaching, must take preventative measures, fwy 1 block away. Impoverished roamers infiltrate the local surroundings looking for quarters, this economy sux!
It’s dangerous where you live in that pole barn? 😦
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Yup.
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The mosquito population is still down. That piece of me that is an environmentalist wasn’t happy having the Mayor Ranch sprayed. I was out there tonight, very few mosquitoes no matter where I wandered. This was the end of Day 2. There were lots of fireflies, good sign. They survived, or new ones moved in.
Lots of insects had to lose their lives but it’s a dog eat dog world. I had to force Mother Nature back a few feet.
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Went for a ride up my usual road and going around one corner a cow stepped out into the road, (bovine interference), I bounced off the thing but the hand guard over my brake lever bent over and locked my front brake whilst smashing my fingers between the aforementioned brake lever and the handlebar, OUCH! Stupid cow, bent my turn signal too. I wasn’t going very fast so I did not fall down.
That rancher owes me a steak from that critter! Grrr
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Ouch!
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Yikes! So much can happen when we’re in our cars, or on our bikes. Glad you’re ok.
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I don’t know how I gardened for 50 years and didn’t know that baking soda kills weeds. I mean, WTF? How did I NOT know that? My driveway is turning green, asked my power washer guys about their hot water sprayer, heats up to 212. Spray that and the weeds would die, but they’ll probably come back.
My daughter-in-law told me about the baking soda so I did a test strip on the driveway stone by my grass, grass creeping out and growing out of the stone.
IT KILLED IT! And in record time, beat pouring boiling water on them. I’m going to use my sifter that I use for sifting Gold Medal flour and sift the baking soda over spots on the drive. This is so exciting! About to reclaim my driveway, that was just freshly graded.
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Thank you for the baking soda suggestion! I will try it soon!
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Doc, I should have taken before and after pictures, but you can believe me when I say it burned the weeds out. Sara said it’s because baking soda is alkaline, it will kill anything.
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Good!
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Actually, baking soda is slightly basic, not acidic.
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Oh, that’s what you wrote.
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Den, I hope you will take it up with the farmer.
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