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Old 05-02-2015, 08:55 PM
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mental4astro (Alexander)
kids+wife+scopes=happyman

mental4astro is offline
 
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: sydney, australia
Posts: 5,004
Adrian, sorry to say no. Not with your scope.

Pluto sits at magnitude 15. This is right on the limit of what a 10" scope can reveal visually. This means that magnitude 15 is just, just beyond what you would be able to detect.

AND, while Pluto is visible in larger instruments, it is not immediately identifiable, but can only be detected with a few days interval as it would be detected as a tiny star that has shifted position with respects to the other background stars. This is the way that Pluto was discovered, sure photographically, but as a star that had shifted position over the course of a few nights. It has no decernable disk - it literally appears like any other pin-prick faint star.

There are a handful of people here on IIS who have seen Pluto. Something that requires the patience of Saints. To identify Pluto requires highly detailed charts to assist with picking the 'odd man out' from the background stars. More fellows have photographed Pluto. This next link takes you to a search I did here on IIS of Pluto in the Solar System photo forum:

http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/s...archid=3284486



Alex.

Last edited by mental4astro; 05-02-2015 at 09:34 PM. Reason: more info
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