h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

In thirteen and a half hours a little bit of history will be made.

After nine years in transit the New Horizons spacecraft will reach and fly-by the minor planet Pluto and its surface detail will be revealed for the first time.

Hopefully it will return photographs showing the surface in detail for the first time. Pictures returned so far are showing some interesting features that should become clearer as the probe passes within 12,500 km of the surface.

The item on tonight's BBC Newsnight programme was introduced with the h2g2 signature music.

http://pluto.jhuapl.edu

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-33543383

and I'll raise you
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-33537276

I always wondered what it would look like. It's the only planetary body we have no real idea what it's like.
It's hard to argue with but I don't think it should have been downgraded to 'minor' status. It was always the ninth planet to me.
What amazes me is that it's going to take 16 months to download all the pictures that NH has taken in two days. What grips the imagination is that it will take more than two of my lifetimes to orbit the sun once.
I've also held a remote hope that they will find TMA-1. tma1 the monolith

In just under seven hours, at the turn of the new year, New Horizons will pass by and photograph Ultima Thule, as it makes a fly by one of the first of the Kyper belt objects to be imaged. This is some 44.25 Au from the Sun.

Only 60 years ago the Kuiper belt was a theoretical concept. Deep space indeed.