kallis@pen.DEC (04/26/85)
A couple of footnotes to Ms. Byrd's script on the Pluto opposition. If I recall, Pluto is relatively near its perihelion which means it's a bit netter observationally. Any hints on what the smallest telescope one is likely to be able to pick it up with would be? Also, there are plenty of "worlds" unlikely to be scheduled for a spacecraft visit in this century. There are hundreds and thousands of them somewhere between Mars and Jupiter (or if you wish to say "If you've seen one asteroid, you've seen 'em all, there are still the Trojan aster- oids in the Jovian orbit...). SK
canopus@amdahl.UUCP (Frank Dibbell) (04/29/85)
> > A couple of footnotes to Ms. Byrd's script on the Pluto opposition. > If I recall, Pluto is relatively near its perihelion which means it's a bit > netter observationally. Any hints on what the smallest telescope one is > likely to be able to pick it up with would be? Pluto is about as bright as a 14.5 magnitude star. Theoretically, this means it should be visible in a 10" scope. I've seen it easily in a 16", and I've seen it, with some difficulty, in a 12 1/2". I know of two respected members of our local Astronomical Association who claimed to have seen it in a Questar 3 1/2! Since it is such a faint object, atmospheric "seeing" is going to be the limiting factor. To answer your question... you will most likely need a 12 1/2 inch scope. (I am assuming you are talking about visual, and not photographic, observation). Clear Skies... -- Frank Dibbell (408-746-6493) {whatever}!amdahl!canopus [R.A. 6h 22m 30s Dec. -52d 36m] [Generic disclaimer.....]
freeman@spar.UUCP (Jay Freeman) (04/30/85)
/* libation to the line-eater */ I found Pluto quite easy in a Celestron 14 several years ago. (Though of course it took a finder chart -- I used the one from the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada's _Observer's_ _Handbook_ -- to pick it out among all the stars).