How to See Pluto With A Telescope?

Pluto is mostly known as a dwarf planet. You cannot see Pluto with a small or low-powered telescope. Only a large aperture telescope with high magnifications and show you its appearance. It is situated at the very edge of the solar system. It is not a shiny object having a magnitude of 14.4. To observe this object, you need at least an 8-inch telescope with a very dark sky, a star chart or app, and obviously a lot of patience.

What is Pluto?

Pluto, a dwarf planet situated in the Kuiper belt, boasts a myriad of intriguing attributes that set it apart in the realm of celestial bodies. With a diameter of approximately 2,370 kilometers, Pluto stands as the largest known object beyond Neptune’s orbit, requiring telescopes with larger apertures, such as 10 inches or more, to barely resolve its disk. This distant world, discovered in 1930 through the lens of the 13-inch telescope at Lowell Observatory, has a complex system of moons, including Charon, Styx, Nix, Kerberos, and Hydra.

Pluto’s surface is a tapestry of diverse features, from smooth icy plains to rugged mountainous regions, and even a snake-skin-like texture formed by eroded ice ridges. The atmosphere of Pluto, a unique characteristic among trans-Neptunian objects, is predominantly composed of nitrogen, with traces of methane and carbon monoxide. This atmosphere, akin to that of Triton, Pluto’s closest analog, adds to the mystique of this distant world.

In terms of orbital characteristics, Pluto’s journey around the sun spans approximately 248 Earth years, or 90,560 Earth days, at an average distance of 5.91 billion kilometers from Earth. This vast separation, equivalent to 39.5 astronomical units, underscores the challenge of observing Pluto, given its small size and considerable distance.

Pluto’s moons, particularly Charon, the largest among them, further enrich the enigmatic nature of this dwarf planet. With a diameter of about 1,208 kilometers (750 miles), Charon orbits Pluto in a gravitational dance that speaks to the complex interplay of celestial bodies in the outer reaches of our solar system.

How far is Pluto from planet Earth?

The approximate distance between Earth and Pluto is 3.7 billion miles (5.9 billion kilometers), although the distance from Earth to Pluto varies greatly due to Pluto’s highly eccentric orbit. At its closest, Pluto is approximately 4.28 billion kilometers (2.66 billion miles) away from Earth. On average, however, the distance is about 5.05 billion kilometers (3.1 billion miles). At its furthest point, Pluto is around 7.5 billion kilometers (4.7 billion miles) away from Earth. This vast distance means that it took NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft, the fastest spacecraft we’ve developed, 9.5 years to reach Pluto. Earth is much larger than Pluto, with Earth being about 5 times larger in diameter compared to Pluto. The difference in orbital period between Earth and Pluto is approximately 90,164.75 days. The orbital period of Earth is approximately 365.25 days, while the orbital period of Pluto is approximately 90,530 days.

Can you see Pluto with a telescope?

Pluto, a dwarf planet located in the Kuiper belt, is not easily visible through a telescope compared to other objects in the solar system. To observe Pluto clearly, a telescope with an aperture of at least 14 inches (350mm) is recommended. The size of a telescope affects the visibility of Pluto, with a minimum aperture of at least 5 inches needed to observe it. Pluto has a magnitude of 14.3-14.4 and is visible through a telescope with an aperture of 14 inches or more. The reflectivity of Pluto causes it to appear as a star-like point through a telescope, with its disk being under 0.1 arc seconds wide. Pluto’s apparent magnitude is around 14, making it too dim to be seen with the naked eye. Pluto can be found in the night sky when using a telescope in the Kuiper belt, a ring of bodies beyond the orbit of Neptune.

Quick Guide to Observe Pluto

The furthest object in our solar system is Pluto. To thoroughly verify the position and timing, use an astronomy app. Use an automatic finder or point your telescope toward Pluto once it is aligned and ready to use. Pluto will be visible as a recognizable bright red disc. Focus on Pi () Sagittarii (magnitude +2.8), the star just east and above the bottom of the spoon, after locating the Teaspoon. Place this star in the center of your finderscope and move it slightly to the southeast, to HD 179201 at +6.4 magnitude. Pluto is currently 1° east of the star and a little to the north of it. Your telescope should have an aperture of at least 8 inches. Pluto can only be seen with 200x magnification.

Before we begin, choose a star chart.

Pluto is the furthest object in our solar system. It is not visible to unaided eyes. Use a star chart or phone app like SkySafari 6, Stellarium, etc to find it out and then point the telescope in that direction.

How to find Pluto?

1. Use an astronomy app to validate the location and timing in detail. Pluto is the most distant object in the solar system. It is small and faint. That makes it impossible to find Pluto with unaided eyes.
2. Locate the Teaspoon first, then concentrate on Pi () Sagittarii (magnitude +2.8), the star immediately east and above the spoon’s bottom. 
3. Slide your finderscope to a little under 1° southeast and center HD 179201 at +6.4 magnitude. Pluto’s position right now is 1° east and a little north of the star.
4. When your telescope is aligned and ready to use, aim the scope toward Pluto or use an automatic finder. Pluto will appear as a distinct bright red disc.

What is the best time to observe Pluto?

Pluto takes 367 days to reach opposition, which is almost once every year. Pluto is a faint object. Its largest moon Charon is not much smaller than it. Pluto reached opposition this year at 2h UT on July 20. So the next opposition will be on July 21, 2023. 

When Is Pluto at its Brightest in the sky?

In opposition on July 2022, Pluto glowed at magnitude 14.9. But on August 26, it faded by around 0.2 magnitudes. At the end of the year, the brightness will be around 15.2. 

How to find Pluto with your phone?

Install the stargazing app to find Pluto. Hold your phone standstill and open the app. The app will update your screen in real-time and indicate what is there in front of you.

2 Tips to observe Pluto in the best way.

• Use a telescope with a long focal length. This will make Pluto more visible as it makes the field of view narrow. 
• Use a telescope with as large an aperture as possible. Your telescope should have at least an 8-inch aperture.

What can you see on Pluto with a telescope?

• With an 8-inch telescope you will get a dot indistinguishable from the nearby stars.
• With a 10-inch telescope, a small light blue appearance with patches of the planet will be visible.
• It has 5 moons. But with an 11 inch telescope, you will be able to see only the moon named Charon.

What telescope to see Pluto?

Meade 8″ f/4 LX85 Astrograph Reflector, Orion 8″ f/8 Ritchey Chretien Reflecting OTA Telescope, Celestron Starsense Explorer 10″ Dobsonian Smartphone Telescope, Meade 10″ ACF LX90 Telescope, AG Optical 10″ iDK f/6.7 Imaging Dall Kirkham are great telescopes to see Pluto. A list of telescopes to see the planet Pluto has more telescope options that can see Pluto very clearly.

What size telescope to see Pluto?

The bigger the aperture, the better the view. You can start with an 8-inch telescope to spot the dot. But you should take at least an 11-inch telescope to observe the planet.

What magnification is required to see Pluto?

You will require 200x magnification to spot Pluto. But to get the disk-like view you need magnification of more than 500x-700x. 

Enjoying Pluto? Here are other things to see with a telescope

Pluto is the most distant object in this solar system from the sun. However, there are a lot of things observable inside and outside the solar system. The same 8-11 inch telescope used to view Pluto can show amazing views of our own moon, planets, galaxies, nebulae, and many other deep sky objects with high contrast. Viewing Binary stars Through A Telescope & Viewing Galaxy Through A Telescope can guide you to observe these outer solar system objects in the best ways. Moreover, you can go through  ‘List of things to see with a telescope’ to get a long list of objects to observe with proper guidance.