chrisbcritters45
The Nineth Planet from the Sun: Pluto
Pluto has always eluded me from my light polluted suburban skies. Magnitude 13.7 is the deepest I have been able to go visually with an 11" SCT at Pluto's current maximum elevation above the horizon. Under ideal conditions and at a higher elevation, I might be able to break magnitude 14, but this would still be shy of Pluto's current diminutive magnitude of 14.3.
The next best thing was to try to take a picture of it. The 9th planet was hiding with a group of 13th to 14th magnitude stars in an arrangement that looks similar to the constellation Cassiopeia. (See the zoomed-in inset in the image.) Pluto was masquerading as Epsilon Cassiopeiae at one end of the familiar W pattern.
While I still haven’t seen Pluto visually, I’m sure that I have a chance from a dark sky location. Maybe someday.
Time: 12-Sep-2018 @ 1:23 AM UT (11-Sep-2018 @ 9:34 PM EDT)
Equipment: Full frame DSLR at prime focus of an 11" SCT on an alt-az mount.
Exposure: Single exposure, 15 seconds, ISO 4000, LENR, high ISO NR.
Processing: Gamma correction (to darken the sky), sharpening.
The Nineth Planet from the Sun: Pluto
Pluto has always eluded me from my light polluted suburban skies. Magnitude 13.7 is the deepest I have been able to go visually with an 11" SCT at Pluto's current maximum elevation above the horizon. Under ideal conditions and at a higher elevation, I might be able to break magnitude 14, but this would still be shy of Pluto's current diminutive magnitude of 14.3.
The next best thing was to try to take a picture of it. The 9th planet was hiding with a group of 13th to 14th magnitude stars in an arrangement that looks similar to the constellation Cassiopeia. (See the zoomed-in inset in the image.) Pluto was masquerading as Epsilon Cassiopeiae at one end of the familiar W pattern.
While I still haven’t seen Pluto visually, I’m sure that I have a chance from a dark sky location. Maybe someday.
Time: 12-Sep-2018 @ 1:23 AM UT (11-Sep-2018 @ 9:34 PM EDT)
Equipment: Full frame DSLR at prime focus of an 11" SCT on an alt-az mount.
Exposure: Single exposure, 15 seconds, ISO 4000, LENR, high ISO NR.
Processing: Gamma correction (to darken the sky), sharpening.