This was a good talk by our co-chair Ian Hewitt. We also tried out a new venue at the Daily Planet Cafe. So you could enjoy the talk and dinner as well.
The talk began with a history of how Pluto was discovered. It was discovered in 1939 in the Lowell Observatory. It was named after the Mythical God of the Underworld, not the dog.
After giving a bit of history, Ian got into the exciting science and the New Horizons Mission to Pluto. This will obtain a good six months of data when it flies by Pluto. This mission should answer some of the questions about Pluto and of course raise more. Not only is this going to Pluto, it will be heading out to other Kuiper Belt objects as well.
After the discussing the mission, Ian touched on the other Kuiper Belt objects. He also discussed some of the citizen science opportunities – the ice hunters.
This was a very good meeting.
