NASA New Horizons and Pluto in Sagittarius

Pluto will be in the Name A Star Live constellation Sagittarius when NASA’s New Horizons probe flies past Pluto on July 14, 2015. If you’ve named a star in Sagittarius, take out your Name A Star Live Star Chart and compare the position of your star to Pluto in the diagrams below!

Pluto in Sagittarius, Northern Hemisphere
Pluto in Sagittarius as viewed from the northern hemisphere of Earth, July 2015

If you’re in the northern hemisphere, Sagittarius will be rising over your southeastern horizon as the sun sets in July 2015.

Pluto in Sagittarius, southern hemisphere
Pluto in Sagittarius as viewed from the southern hemisphere of Earth, July 2015

If you’re in the southern hemisphere, Sagittarius will be rising over your eastern horizon as the sun sets in July 2015.

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To view Pluto, you will need a telescope with at least an 8-inch (20-centimeter) diameter mirror.  But perhaps the best bet is to find a local astronomy club or planetarium that is showing the dwarf planet the evening of July 14.  New Horizons will make its closest approach to Pluto at 7:50 AM EDT, 11:50 GMT, 12:50 CET, 21:50 AEST when it will be 7,750 miles (12,500 kilometers) from the surface of the dwarf planet.

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