Pluto and Charon Eclipse a Triple Star
Explanation:
Occasionally, a planet in our
Solar System
will pass in front of a bright star.
Since stars and planets take up so little space on the sky,
such events are quite rare.
Two months ago, however,
Pluto
and its large moon
Charon
passed in front of a comparatively bright
triple star system known as P126.
By noting how P126 A dimmed, the event was useful for studying
Pluto's relatively unknown atmosphere.
A
Very Large Telescope in
Chile using a
deformable mirror to counter the
blurring effect of
Earth's atmosphere captured the
above image.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
