How many have seen Pluto?

Just wondered how many people have actually taken the time to hunt this one down. I've identified it several times using a 10" Cave and a 16" Nightsky and a star chart. Last Friday night, it was very close to a dim star allowing me to detect its motion over a few hours.

Other members of the club are surprised when I show it to them. Just wondered if many people in this forum have looked for it.

Pete

I saw Pluto for the first time last summer using my Celestron CPC-800. I tracked it three nights in a row. With good alignment, my CPC-800 nailed it dead on each time. Since I was at 8200 feet (Courtright Reservoir in the Sierra Nevada east of Fresno), Pluto was easy to see as were several stars dimmer than Pluto.

I also had my 5" with me, but Pluto was too faint for that scope. I star hopped to the same field that my CPC-800 found, but didn't see the dimmer stars or Pluto.

Fred

I've observed Pluto a number of times through a variety of telescopes. I've tried several times to see it without success through my 101mm Tele Vue refractor.

Dave Mitsky

Peter Rice said:

Just wondered how many people have actually taken the time to hunt this one down. I've identified it several times using a 10" Cave and a 16" Nightsky and a star chart. Last Friday night, it was very close to a dim star allowing me to detect its motion over a few hours.

Other members of the club are surprised when I show it to them. Just wondered if many people in this forum have looked for it.

Pete

I track the little bugger down every umpteen years. It's probably been close on to a decade since I've done so, so maybe it's "time" again.

8)

I have seen it in a 12", 14.5" and 15" scope, but probably would have seen it in a 10". Hardest thing is knowing that it is there among the small stars that it resembles. A star chart with patterns of stars is really required to be certain we found.

Thanks for the responses. The first time I saw it in the 10", it was from dark skies and was faint, but definitely visible. It was easy in the 16".

What surprised me was the amount of motion visible over just a few hours, given its distance. It helped that Friday night it was in a crowded star field and very close to a dim star, probably 14th mag. Looked like a double star that widened over the hours.

Pete

I first saw it the year Clyde Tombaugh spoke at TSP, figuring it was an appropriate time. That was through a 17.5", IIRC. I've done it from home (upstate NY) in my 8" refractor, and I thought it was very easy. Probably time for another "visit."

Clear skies, Alan

Saw it a couple of times with my 10", from our dark location in The Everglades...
Not much to write home about it though..., just a faint dot...

Like most, I've looked at it a couple of times.

Unlike most, however, I've seen what used to be called the 10th planet - 2003 UB313. See

http://mcdonaldobservatory.org/news/releases/2006/0220.html

http://www.astromart.com/forums/viewpost.asp?forum_post_id=378161&poll_id=&news_id=&page=

KMM

Peter Rice said:

Just wondered how many people have actually taken the time to hunt this one down. I've identified it several times using a 10" Cave and a 16" Nightsky and a star chart. Last Friday night, it was very close to a dim star allowing me to detect its motion over a few hours.

Other members of the club are surprised when I show it to them. Just wondered if many people in this forum have looked for it.

Pete

Peter Rice said:

Just wondered how many people have actually taken the time to hunt this one down. I've identified it several times using a 10" Cave and a 16" Nightsky and a star chart. Last Friday night, it was very close to a dim star allowing me to detect its motion over a few hours.

Other members of the club are surprised when I show it to them. Just wondered if many people in this forum have looked for it.

Pete

Yes, pretty easily in 13". But not recently. As with all else, detailed charting really really helps.