As the major astronomical event is due to take place on July 14, Pluto Safari app keeps track of New Horizons’ encounter with Pluto. The application has been purposefully created to enable scientists and passionate astronomers, alike to get access to the stunning photos that NASA will release once the planet meets the spacecraft.
New Horizons, NASA’s space gear that was purposefully created to study the surface of Pluto, is about to accomplish its mission after nine years and 3 billion miles of anticipation. The space ship will get as close as ever to the celestial body on July 14th and will continue to take close-up pictures of its surface for the following months.
The close encounter between the celestial body and the space ship was long planned and calculated by experts at NASA as researchers want to get more data in relation to the evolution of its five moons. Until 2012, there was little data connected to Pluto and its moons, but the advanced technology that NASA is using has enabled them to further study the peculiarities of its surface.
The event has been much-anticipated both by scientists and lay people, therefore, researchers have also created an online app which enables space aficionados to witness New Horizons’ flyby. Pluto Safari App keeps track of New Horizons’ encounter with Pluto providing insights on its mission and its achievements.
The spaceship will get as close to 7,750 miles to the surface of the icy dwarf Planet. It will also be the first machinery to ever study the surface of the planet, even though previous missions have been carried out before with this sole purpose.
Researchers hope they could soon explain some of the unusual phenomena they have noticed on the celestial body. They are particularly interested in certain black spots that appear from time to time on Pluto. No previous study has led to a credible explanation for the said phenomenon.
New Horizons is currently at 20 million miles from Pluto, but it will soon begin its decent in order to get closer to the planet. Scientists were forced to perform several corrections as the space gear was not moving in the right direction.
According to their declaration, they have adjusted the speed rate of the space machinery by 52 centimeters per second. No other changes are required for the moment as the space ship seems to be functioning properly.
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