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Pluto 6th/7th July 14

DrRobin

By DrRobin
in Imaging - Planetary

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DrRobin

DrRobin

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Hi,

I had a go at Ceres & Vesta on Saturday night, but think they were too low behind a tree to get, so I had a go for Pluto.  Pluto doesn't clear my house roof until after 00:30 as it is only 14 degrees above the horizon at my home, approx. 55 degrees north.  These two images were taken from around 00:40 to 01:10 on Sunday morning and then again from 00:40 to 00:55 on Monday morning.

I took 9 frames @ 120 seconds each with a C11, 0.62x FR, SXVR-H18 in luminance only, one set each night to see the movement and identify the moving Pluto from the background stars.  I also used nova.astrometry.net to verify the location on each night.

I am really pleased to have caught Pluto after failing last year, just missing it out of the frame and not getting another chance due to the low altitude and weather.

Robin

Pluto-6th-7th-July-14.jpg

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DrRobin

DrRobin

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Hi,

Just thought I would post the two nova.astrometry.net images from the two nights.  These are from a single 120 sec exposure and I have added the Pluto label as Nova doesn't put it on.  Without two pictures on two nights I am not sure I could have been sure it was Pluto.

Robin

6/7/14

Pluto-6-7-14-nova.jpg

7/7/14

Pluto-7-7-14-nova.jpg

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DrRobin

DrRobin

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Thanks guys.  I am very chuffed to have imaged it, especially getting it the following night as well.  Oh the advantages of an obs with the scope permanently set up and stored alignment points.  It would take some finding if you had to set up and align every night, even more so without GOTO.

With just a manual scope, you would have to wait until it was close to something bright (ish) and go from there.  I also seriously doubt, I could see it by looking through the scope, at least and to be able to recognise it.

Dror, I thought about doing an animation, but haven't done one for a while, so would have to read up on how I have done them in the past.  To find it I overlaid the second image over the first and then swapped the order backwards and forwards, Pluto then seems to jump between the two positions, which would look good as an animation.

Robin

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Stu

Stu

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To find it I overlaid the second image over the first and then swapped the order backwards and forwards, Pluto then seems to jump between the two positions, which would look good as an animation.

Robin

That sounds like a digital version of how it was found in the first place ie 'blink' comparisons between two photographic plates which highlights any object which has changed position.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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DrRobin

DrRobin

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That sounds like a digital version of how it was found in the first place ie 'blink' comparisons between two photographic plates which highlights any object which has changed position.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yep, exactly the same.  I am willing to bet you are good at the 'spot the difference' puzzles in the mags?

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Phil Fargaze

Phil Fargaze

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Brilliant work and excellent presentation! I`ve ticked off all the other planets so Pluto is on my wanted list. I was looking into the challenge of finding it with my  C9.25 and watec video camera  however from my obsy I cant get down to the elevation plus there is a big tree in the way.

Ceres and Vesta are possible for me so I've `gone mobile` with having the tripod set up in the garden for the last week, only to be faced with cloudy skies.

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DrRobin

DrRobin

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Brilliant work and excellent presentation! I`ve ticked off all the other planets so Pluto is on my wanted list. I was looking into the challenge of finding it with my  C9.25 and watec video camera  however from my obsy I cant get down to the elevation plus there is a big tree in the way.

Ceres and Vesta are possible for me so I've `gone mobile` with having the tripod set up in the garden for the last week, only to be faced with cloudy skies.

Hope you get it Phil. Where I am, it doesn't clear my own roof, but there is a gap where the garage is between me and next door and for around 4 weeks gives me a window of about 1.5 hours. Fortunately for me this year I caught it right at the start of the gap and on the first attempt. I am hopeful of getting it next year in July when the 'New Horizons' probe makes it's fly by, that would be good, image Pluto from Earth at the same time as high resolution images come from a probe.

Robin

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