Let's begin by saying that I have never seen Pluto and I have had the opportunity to look through some pretty big telescopes and have been observing the sky for over forty years. Pluto is not an easy target! It is never brighter than thirteenth magnitude, which is about 600 times fainter than we can see with the unaided eye. If you have an absolutely clear dark sky, a twenty centimeter diameter telescope, and an awful lot of patience, you may see the outermost planet if you know where to look. Right now in May, Pluto is in the portion of the Milky Way in Ophiuchus. It begins its small loop of retrograde motion on April 4, arriving at opposition on June 26.

    Would you really like to try to find Pluto? Here is some help.


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Updated April 10, 2009