Solar System

Pluto in Sagittarius

This image shows Pluto against the dense star fields of Sagittarius. The planet is noticeably red, a fact that was discovered in 2003 when it was observed that Pluto had undergone a dramatic surface change and suddenly featured a significantly redder hue than what had been observed in previous years.
An increase in the amount of ultraviolet sunlight breaking down methane on Pluto’s surface is thought to account for the redder hue, but the mystery will probably have to wait until 2015 when the New Horizons probe beams back the first clear pictures ever of this distant world.

OPTICS: 10" Newtonian f/5
MOUNT: Losmandy G11 equatorial
CAMERA: Philips ToUCam Pro SC1 webcam
FILTERS: None
EXPOSURE: 180 x 10.5s
DATE/TIME: 04/06/2010
LOCATION: My backyard observatory in west Auckland, New Zealand