45 replies to this topic

[Rick-T137]

I'm sure the topic of observing Pluto has come up many times, but it's a slow day here in the Great White North...

 

My daughter has an 8" Dob and very much enjoys planetary astronomy. Her big lament is that she's never seen Neptune. I'll see if I can get her out observing this winter to see it, and if not, for sure next fall we'll get it (I believe it's a tough object to locate over the summer this year).

 

Which brings me to the topic of my post. I realized during our conversation that I've observed all 9 official planets in my lifetime. What I mean by that is that I've observed Pluto prior to it's "demotion" in 2006. So when I observed it (in the early 2000's) it was still a planet. And of course I've viewed Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. Although my observations of Earth are a little sketchy...

 

I'd have to check my logs, but I think it was the summer of 2001 and I used my Meade 10" Starfinder Dob to track Pluto down over 3 successive nights and noted the motion of it compared to the background stars. I remember being super stoked the first night when I figured out I had viewed it, and then I was even more stoked the next night when I saw it had moved and confirmed my observation.

 

So, how about you? Have you viewed Pluto? What do you recall of the experience? Did you do it before it got "demoted"? (I barely squeaked in!)

 

Clear skies!

 

Rick

[NinePlanets]

Yes. Many times with my 8" F/16.

[Rick-T137]

Yes. Many times with my 8" F/16.

With a handle like yours, I'd be surprised if you hadn't!

[NinePlanets]

Doesn't Ceres make 10?

[Rick-T137]

Doesn't Ceres make 10?

If you observed it before it was reclassified from planet to asteroid, then sure! I think that happened in 1851...

 

https://www.skyatnig...rf-planet-ceres

[AlamoBob]

I think that happened in 1851...

Yeah, but those clowns didn't know what they were talking about.  I presented some very convincing arguments in favor of Ceres, but no, it wasn't ROUND enough...  Sheesh.

[Krish123]

I am still mad that Pluto is not a planet, and the Ceres thing is a joke, it is a planet, have you seen pictures of it? sure its a little more ovoid than usual but is is by a minuscule amount, the whole thing is bs in my opinion

[Nankins]

I observed Pluto, but only in the past 2 years.  Makes observing Neptune and Uranus feel like a walk in the park.

[NinePlanets]

Umm... Relax, Pluto IS a planet. Some folks just like to call it something else. It's OK. They can if they like.

I call Capricornus the Bikini Bottom, 'cuz that's what it looks like to me. Pluto looks like a planet.

[Captain Quark]

…track Pluto down over 3 successive nights and noted the motion of it compared to the background stars…

Observed Pluto summer before last in my 10” dob. One night. With great difficulty.

 

As to finding 3 nights in a row of conditions good enough to observe Pluto, that would be the feat of a lifetime.

[Knasal]

Many times in my 18”, including my favorite at the Nebraska Star Party in 2016. The star party was themed “Parade of Planets” that year as all (yes, Pluto, too, in my book) were visible from dusk to dawn.

 

Mid-way through the week, I managed to get them all in but it was a challenge with some clouds during different parts of the night 

 

Kevin

[Rick-T137]

Observed Pluto summer before last in my 10” dob. One night. With great difficulty.

 

As to finding 3 nights in a row of conditions good enough to observe Pluto, that would be the feat of a lifetime.

It actually wasn't too hard - we had a nice run of clear nights, and at the time (2001) Pluto was brighter - I think magnitude 13.7? So easily within the grasp of my 10" scope.

[Dave Mitsky]

I've observed Pluto a number of times over the years using a variety of telescopes.

[Sketcher]

So, how about you? Have you viewed Pluto? What do you recall of the experience? Did you do it before it got "demoted"? (I barely squeaked in!)

I don't recall how many observations I've made of Pluto.  I've observed Pluto with 4-inch, 5-inch, 8-inch, and 10-inch apertures.

 

I don't recall ever getting around to it with my 12-inch.  There didn't seem to be any point in even trying after being successful with all of those smaller apertures.

 

Details?  I always started out by making a sketch and followed that up by adding one or more subsequent "dots" on later dates for verification -- in order to remove any doubts.

 

On more than one night (in different years), I've observed Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto -- all 8 on a single night.  Unfortunately, I was unsuccessful in finding that elusive 9th planet -- Earth.  I couldn't find it anywhere in my night sky! 

 

And yes, I've observed both, Pluto the planet and Pluto the dwarf-planet.  The planet was easier to see.  It appeared brighter than the dwarf-planet!

[NinePlanets]

A four inch!? Wow!

It had to have been a refractor. 

[radiofm74]

Couple of times, in 2023 and 2024, both times with an 8" scope (C8 and Vixen R200SS). It was a fun hunt in both cases. Not sure I'll see it again… if I read correctly, it's dimming fast and will stay dim for quite some time! 

[12BH7]

No, but Pluto is on my list of "things to do" this year. Looking forward to the challenge.

[Captain Quark]

It actually wasn't too hard - we had a nice run of clear nights, and at the time (2001) Pluto was brighter - I think magnitude 13.7? So easily within the grasp of my 10" scope.

Ah. It was either 14.4 or 14.5 when I did it. Sqm 20.80. I hardly ever get two nights in a row of great conditions. I had a good night with Mars last night for the first time. Two years ago conditions were very marginal.

 

I sometimes find it strange that we can so easily view things with our Everyman telescopes that were revolutionary discoveries just not that long ago. Uranus and Neptune for instance. Unknown for millennia, but almost trivial to view now.

[payner]

Ah. It was either 14.4 or 14.5 when I did it. Sqm 20.80. I hardly ever get two nights in a row of great conditions. I had a good night with Mars last night for the first time. Two years ago conditions were very marginal.

 

I sometimes find it strange that we can so easily view things with our Everyman telescopes that were revolutionary discoveries just not that long ago. Uranus and Neptune for instance. Unknown for millennia, but almost trivial to view now.

More often than not, knowing where to look (and what to expect) is 3/4ths of the challenge/effort.

[12BH7]

Ah. It was either 14.4 or 14.5 when I did it. Sqm 20.80. I hardly ever get two nights in a row of great conditions. I had a good night with Mars last night for the first time. Two years ago conditions were very marginal.

 

I sometimes find it strange that we can so easily view things with our Everyman telescopes that were revolutionary discoveries just not that long ago. Uranus and Neptune for instance. Unknown for millennia, but almost trivial to view now.

Hey, I was out looking at Uranus and Neptune last night. I didn't find it that trivial.

[Rick-T137]

Hey, I was out looking at Uranus and Neptune last night. I didn't find it that trivial.

Agreed! I have viewed both many times, but it always is an effort even though I have apps that tell me exactly where they are. Now if I was using one of those new-fangled "goto" systems, it would be trivial.

[Spikey131]

Pluto is dim.  And it just looks like any dim star.  The challenge of seeing it is knowing which dim star it is.  It helps to observe on successive nights, because you will detect its movement.  If you use a planetarium program, you can learn the pattern of the stars around it and determine which is the planet.  

 

Because it is dim, you need dark skies and you need to pick a time near opposition when it is highest in your Ontario skies.

 

Some people say that Pluto is not a planet, like some people say that a thumb is not a finger.  But ask any seven year old how many fingers they have.....

[12BH7]

Agreed! I have viewed both many times, but it always is an effort even though I have apps that tell me exactly where they are. Now if I was using one of those new-fangled "goto" systems, it would be trivial.

My GOTO system, for reasons unknown, only gets you to the area on planets.  Otherwise it's fine for DSO.  Both Neptune and Uranus were tiny dots. Almost star like. Neptune didn't have that typical bluish tint, but Uranus was showing a tiny tan dot.

[Knasal]

Neptune didn't have that typical bluish tint, but Uranus was showing a tiny tan dot.

I think the colors you saw are more a function of your eyes than they are of the telescope you used to observe them.

[skysurfer]

9 planets ?

Planet Nine is not discovered yet.