APOD - 5 Million Miles from Pluto

Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
2015 July 9
5 Million Miles from Pluto
Image Credit: NASA, Johns Hopkins Univ./APL, Southwest Research Inst. Explanation: An image snapped on July 7 by the New Horizons spacecraft while just under 5 million miles (8 million kilometers) from Pluto is combined with color data in this most detailed view yet of the Solar System's most famous world about to be explored. The region imaged includes the tip of an elongated dark area along Pluto's equator already dubbed "the whale". A bright heart-shaped region on the right is about 1,200 miles (2,000) kilometers across, possibly covered with a frost of frozen methane, nitrogen, and/or carbon monoxide. The view is centered near the area that will be seen during New Horizons much anticipated July 14 closest approach to a distance of about 7,750 miles (12,500 kilometers).

Tomorrow's picture: in the shadow of M42

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APOD - 50 Miles on Pluto

Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
2015 July 16
50 Miles on Pluto
Image Credit & Copyright: NASA, Johns Hopkins Univ./APL, Southwest Research Inst. Explanation: A 50 mile (80 kilometer) trip across Pluto would cover the distance indicated by the scale bar in this startling image. The close-up of the icy world's rugged equatorial terrain was captured when the New Horizons spacecraft was about 47,800 miles (77,000 kilometers) from the surface, 1.5 hours before its closest approach. Rising to an estimated 11,000 feet (3,500 meters) the mountains are likely composed of water ice. Suggesting surprising geological activity, they are also likely young with an estimated age of 100 million years or so based on the apparent absence of craters. The region pictured is near the base of Pluto's broad, bright, heart-shaped feature.

Tomorrow's picture: the ferryman

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Movies Update: 'Trainwreck,' 'Ant-Man' and More

Friday, July 17, 2015

IN THIS EMAIL Movie Reviews | News & Features | On Video | Multimedia | Critics' Picks | Top Fives

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Review: 'Trainwreck' Delivers the Full Amy Schumer Experience By MANOHLA DARGIS The movie, directed by Judd Apatow from Ms. Schumer's script, is a romantic comedy packed with pop-cultural references and edged with social critique. Movie Overview Review: 'Ant-Man,' With Paul Rudd, Adds to a Superhero Infestation By A. O. SCOTT Directed by Peyton Reed, this movie is a passable piece of drone work from the ever-expanding Marvel-Disney colony. Movie Overview

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Movie Reviews Review: Woody Allen's 'Irrational Man' Explores Life's Randomness By MANOHLA DARGIS Joaquin Phoenix stars as a college philosophy professor who capriciously decides to commit a crime. Movie Overview Review: 'The Look of Silence' Confronts Individuals and Ideology of Indonesian Massacre By A. O. SCOTT This documentary by the American filmmaker Joshua Oppenheimer, like its companion film, "The Act of Killing," examines the mass killings that began in the country in 1965. Movie Overview Review: 'Alleluia' Follows Partners in Crime, but Not Necessarily in Love By STEPHEN HOLDEN A reimagining of the 1970 classic "The Honeymoon Killers," this Belgian film begins as an erotic thriller and morphs into a horror movie. Movie Overview Review: In 'A Hard Day,' Looney Tunes Meets Cops, Corpses and Crime By MANOHLA DARGIS The protagonist in Kim Seong-hun's fast-paced cop movie is distressed by his mother's death, ominous colleagues, a hectoring sister and a body in the trunk. Movie Overview Review: 'The Stanford Prison Experiment' Revisits the Psychology of Power and Abuse By NEIL GENZLINGER The film is about the notorious 1971 psychological study in which students were recruited to play either guards or inmates in a make-believe prison. Movie Overview Review: For Ian McKellen's 'Mr. Holmes,' Retirement Is Afoot By A. O. SCOTT "Mr. Holmes" imagines the later years of Arthur Conan Doyle's beloved detective, who hasn't quite given up making brilliant deductions. Movie Overview Review: In 'Lila and Eve,' a Grieving Mother Turns Gun-Toting Vigilante By STEPHEN HOLDEN Viola Davis and Jennifer Lopez star in this revenge thriller, directed by Charles Stone III ("Drumline"). Movie Overview

Video Features 'Trainwreck' (With Movie Trailer): Judd Apatow Narrates a Scene By MEKADO MURPHY The director Judd Apatow discusses a sequence from his film featuring Amy Schumer and Bill Hader.

News & Features Cara Delevingne, Ready to Conquer Hollywood, Immerses Herself in 'Paper Towns' By LOGAN HILL The British supermodel, who stars in the movie adaptation of the John Green novel, shares more than beauty with the rebellious character she portrays. At Comic-Con, Bring Out Your Fantasy and Fuel the Culture By A. O. SCOTT In San Diego, it's clear that what were once niche pursuits have conquered the entertainment mainstream.

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A. O. Scott Recommends Stray Dog This film, directed by Debra Granik, details how a Vietnam veteran defies simple symbols and challenges lazy thinking about ideology. NYT Review | Buy Tickets | Watch Trailer Manohla Dargis Recommends Trainwreck The movie, directed by Judd Apatow from Ms. Schumer’s script, is a romantic comedy packed with pop-cultural references and edged with social critique. NYT Review | Buy Tickets | Watch Trailer Stephen Holden Recommends Alleluia A reimagining of the 1970 classic “The Honeymoon Killers," this Belgian film begins as an erotic thriller and morphs into a horror movie. NYT Review | Buy Tickets | Watch Trailer For more recommendations, go to Critics' Picks »

Top Fives Top-grossing, most talked about and upcoming movies. Box Office » 1.  Minions 2.  Jurassic World 3.  Inside Out 4.  Terminator: Genisys 5.  The Gallows Times Pulse » 1.  Trainwreck 2.  Baahubali: The Beginning 3.  Irrational Man 4.  Ant-Man 5.  Inside Out Coming soon » The Meat Puppet The Outrageous Sophie Tucker Grimsby A LEGO Brickumentary Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation

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