[meteorite-list] The Dwarf Planet Known as Eris is Bigger, More Massive than Pluto, New Data Shows

From: Sterling K. Webb <sterling_k_webb_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu, 14 Jun 2007 18:05:02 -0500
Message-ID: <01a201c7aed8$71aa8cc0$c3e08c46_at_ATARIENGINE>

Hi, New-Comers to Eris,

    Eris at 97 AU receives 1/9409th of the sunlight of Earth.
Direct sunlight on a very clear day in a desert on Earth can
be 150,000 lux, so a bright day on Eris is about 16 lux.

    See the list below. Twilight is 10 lux. Eris is brighter
than than, maybe like the first beginning of twilight.

    The steep changes in light intensity are scaled by the fact
that the human eye has an automatic iris-controlled exposure
system.

    Deep twilight is only 1 lux and a full moon, the brightest
you've ever seen, is just 0.1 lux. So on Eris the Sun is 160
times brighter than a Full Moon on Earth.

    That's at 97 AU. At 38 AU, Eris gets 1/1444th of full
daylight, or 104 lux. That's the same as a really cloudy
day, not a big problem.

    The human eye is connected to a very good data
processor. After you've spent some time in low light
conditions, the brain is routinely amp'ing the luminance
for you and things look relatively "normal." We humans
are big on "normal."

Direct sunlight 100,000 - 150,000 lux
Full daylight, indirect sunlight 10,000 - 20,000 lux
Overcast day 1,000 lux
Indoor office 200 - 400 lux
ERIS AT 38 AU - 104 LUX
Very dark day 100 lux
ERIS AT 97 AU - 16 LUX
Twilight 10 lux
Deep twilight 1 lux
Full moon 0.1 lux
Quarter moon 0.01 lux
Moonless clear night sky 0.001 lux
Moonless overcast night sky 0.0001 lux

    The lux is a unique unit designed to fit the way the
human eye sees. It is based on the light intensity of
only those frequencies we see and only in proportion to
the strength with which we evaluate them.

    But, if you're going to Eris, a couple of good flashlights
wouldn't be a bad idea... It's still <fleeting expletive> cold,
though.


Sterling K. Webb
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
----- Original Message -----
From: "Darren Garrison" <cynapse at charter.net>
To: "Meteorite Mailing List" <meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com>
Sent: Thursday, June 14, 2007 3:11 PM
Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] The Dwarf Planet Known as Eris is Bigger,More
Massive than Pluto, New Data Shows


On Thu, 14 Jun 2007 11:58:58 -0700 (PDT), you wrote:

>Eris hovers at temperatures well below 400 degrees Fahrenheit and is
>pretty dark.

That's a pretty safe bet. :-)
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Received on Thu 14 Jun 2007 07:05:02 PM PDT