Pluto

[johnfosteruk]

This is the right place to put this isn't it? Imaging - planets (including dwarves)

Captured over 2 nights at Slooh's observatory on El Teide, it would have been 3 but wind scuppered the middle night.

[RolandKol]

Sniper!  

[Pete Presland]

Certainly a great capture of the 9th planet ?

[Subdeo]

great shot! 

Are those KBO's that I see moving on about the same axis as Pluto?

There's one midway between Pluto and the upper right-hand corner (1:00), and another nearer the top left corner. 

[Stu]

That is a great capture John, no wonder it is hard to spot!

[Stu]

4 minutes ago, Subdeo said:

great shot! 

Are those KBO's that I see moving on about the same axis as Pluto?

There's one midway between Pluto and the upper right-hand corner (1:00), and another nearer the top left corner. 

Well spotted! Would be good to know what they are.

[johnfosteruk]

29 minutes ago, Stu said:

Well spotted! Would be good to know what they are.

Let me run it through astrometrica and see if I can work it out. 

[Stub Mandrel]

Take your steenky KBOs, this topic ees for proper planets only! ?

But seriously, that's an interesting image. Those two other dots look as clear as Pluto! One seems to be moving rather faster - large orbit asteroid?

[johnfosteruk]

17 hours ago, Stub Mandrel said:

Take your steenky KBOs, this topic ees for proper planets only! ?

But seriously, that's an interesting image. Those two other dots look as clear as Pluto! One seems to be moving rather faster - large orbit asteroid?

That's what I was thinking. However Astrometrica doesn't seem to want to solve the images so I am unable to confirm it until I fix that.

[johnfosteruk]

On 09/09/2018 at 20:06, Subdeo said:

great shot! 

Are those KBO's that I see moving on about the same axis as Pluto?

There's one midway between Pluto and the upper right-hand corner (1:00), and another nearer the top left corner. 

Astrometrica didn't match them to any known objects in the MPC database. So I don't think it's an asteroid.

[David Levi]

It could be the new 9th planet ?. Or should I say the planet John after it's discoverer. ?

[Stub Mandrel]

Nemesis!

Both in quite signifcantly inclined orbits.

I would say worth getting a professional opinion. I doubt that KBOs that large would be unknown, but it's always a possibility they are something new, or perhaps useful extra data points for poorly known objects.

[Subdeo]

So fascinating the mysteries that are within the reach of a telescope!

 

[ro88ieuk]

Amazing!!..intrigued to see if any answers come out of this..I've been totally transfixed on those little dots...?

[niallk]

Very, very cool

[Ruud]

That's very interesting!

Congratulations. I imagine discovering Pluto like this must have been enormously rewarding! 

[dweller25]

Well done ?

[johnfosteruk]

32 minutes ago, Ruud said:

That's very interesting!

Congratulations. I imagine discovering Pluto like this must have been enormously rewarding! 

Nowhere near as rewarding as it was for Mr Tombaugh, I had software to do the blinking for me and knew where to point the telescope  But yes, it is very satisfying.

[jimbo747]

Found this image fascinating, did you ever find out what the two large objects were? Haven't logged in to SGL for about 12 months but I just needed to know ;)

[johnfosteruk]

20 hours ago, jimbo747 said:

 did you ever find out what the two large objects were? 

Sadly not, I think I'd need more data to ID them with confidence, which sadly I didn't capture.

[goodricke1]

No minor planets brighter than mag 17 within half a degree of Pluto at that time, according to MP Checker. Strange one.

[jimbo747]

That would bug me not knowing 

I wonder if you could extrapolate their paths based on their orbit. Do KBO all move at the same velocity?

There's actually a 3rd object, much fainter directly in line with Plutos path between the top left object and Pluto itself.