Not just a cartoon dog ...

[Demonperformer]

Last week I promised another member that if I did manage to get a picture of dwarf planet Pluto, I would post it. Well, despite the moon drowning out everything it could last night, I decided it was now or never. 102SLT/Canon1000D - 60x30s exposures on alt-az mount - stacked the best 30.

The first picture is the whole frame [reduced in size]. The green rectangle is the area that is blown up [1.5x original] in the second pic. Pluto is the faint smudge that is circled in the second picture [identified by painstaking comparison with CdC]. To help find your bearings (if necessary), the star that is circled in the first picture is SAO161170.

If I get another chance, I will try to repeat the exercise and show the movement.

With the amount of histogram-stretching I needed to do to get this much of a smudge, I think this more or less represents the limit of what I am going to achieve with this combination of equipment from my front garden. But I guess I can live with that:D.

[Worzsel]

well done !

[TheThing]

Can you get Charon in the picture next time please?

Seriously, well done Mr the DP. I've given up on ever viewing Pluto as it's too dim and too hard! Now that they've made it a dwarf planet as well, I don't feel the need to 'complete the set with it.' Mecury was my only o/s until Lucksalls and Allan's fine GOTO!

[geoff_k]

That's brilliant. Really difficult but your efforts were justly rewarded.

Whilst you photograph Charon, don't forget Nix and Hydra

I tried a couple of years back and took one photograph of the target area. Thanks to weather and other commitments I never got round to doing more for comparison purposes.

Shame that New Horizons can't get there a bit quicker as it will fascinating to see what Pluto looks like. Hope it won't be too much of a let-down.

Geoff

[Demonperformer]

I would just like to point out that Charon, Nix and Hydra are all in my photo, it's just that they are drowned out by the overwhelming brilliance of Pluto itself.

[Keiran]

Great image there john... You seem to be doing very well in this department. Keep it up i cant wait to see more

[TheThing]

I would just like to point out that Charon, Nix and Hydra are all in my photo, it's just that they are drowned out by the overwhelming brilliance of Pluto itself.

Brilliant, sir!

[lukebl]

Excellent stuff. Join the Pluto club! It is a planet .... really. Well, to me it always will be.

[Clayton]

Congratulations! You've made a very difficult job look easy.

And got a fine result!

[johnh]

Finding it in all that Milkyway is an achievement.

John.

[Demonperformer]

OK, last night was somewhat misty around the horizon, so the pics I took were not as good and as a result there are more faint stars on Monday's picture. However, the movement of Pluto is visible (circled), so I thought I would upload this anim of the two nights. If I get a better night at the weekend I will try to do a better one, but it is now getting fairly low after dark:

[iamjulian]

Well done indeed! Definitely something I plan to try at some point.

[michaelmorris]

Very good. Nay, truly excellent.

[Demonperformer]

Julian

I would strongly encourage you to do so. With a 6" f/5 scope on an equatorial mount, you should manage it. The satisfaction of catching something everyone knows to be difficult is ... satisfying.

[Demonperformer]

I still haven't managed to get the light levels right on these pics (the first one is quite a bit brighter), but thought this comparison shows the movement best. Taken 7 days apart.

What techniques do other photographers get the same stars at the same brightness?

My current process involves finding a really faint star that I am happy (willing is probably a better word) to lose and making that my 'black point', but it clearly does not work as well as I would like.

Thanks