Pluto

Here is Pluto as imaged on 3 and 5 July 1999 at prime focus of a 10" SCT at f/6.3.  Images taken at about 0630 UT both evenings, and the center of the field of view is approximately RA 16 33 26, Dec -10 03 26, in the constellation Ophiuchus.   In these pictures the planet is 29.4 AU from the Earth (note:  1 AU is the distance from the Earth to the Sun), shining at a magnitude 13.7.  It took the photons to make this image about 4 hours and 4 minutes to travel from Pluto to my CCD chip!

Pluto on 3 July 1999

Pluto on 5 July 1999