If the hubble space telescope can view images lightyears away.Why can't it photograph a decent image of pluto?

Answer 1

Because Pluto is too small and dim. Pluto does not emit any light of its own, rather it reflects sunlight.

The best images Hubble takes are from objects much, MUCH larger than Pluto, that also emit their own light, so that even at the immense distances involved, there is still more energy being collected and focused by the mirrors onto the CCD cameras which record the image.

If you look at the Hubble images of Pluto, you can easily see the pixelation from the camera -- those are the squarish boxy shapes superimposed over the images. Go to the referenced site and look at the image -- each of the pixels shown is more than 100 miles across the face of Pluto at the distance of 3 billion miles. And that's the best photo ever made.

Answer 2

A perfect analogy is why you can see a skyscraper from 40 miles away, but not see a bug from 40 feet. It's a matter of simple geometry. While Pluto is indeed much closer than the galaxies Hubble views, it is smaller by a very large magnitude. Pluto's angular size is far too small for the Hubble to get a clear picture of.

Answer 3

My guess, is because the former planet Pluto is relatively close, is dim, and moves quickly in its arc relative to the background galaxies that are millions of light years away, and therefore appear "fixed". It's hard to do long exposures of things that are moving.

Also, most of the images from Hubble were taken with Infrared and other spectrums, not visible light, they have been altered to give a visual appearance, but that is not how they would look if you were physically there looking at them

Answer 4

Let me give a very simple answer.

Your naked eye can see the Galaxy of Andromeda about
1 milion light years away, but it cant see Pluto.
Pluto is not a galaxy or a star : It reflects the light from the
Sun and not produce its own light.

You cant see an ant in the darkness 10 meters
away from you if you light it with a candle but you can
see the city of New York from 1000km above.

Answer 5

Pluto is still very small and dim, since it's so far away from the Sun. We can't take great pictures of something that small - the stuff we take pictures of with the HST is usually very big.

Answer 6

I'm not completely sure of this one, but it is probably how it is focused. Like a camera or microscope, it can only view things within its field of focus clearly, everything else is blurry.

Answer 7

I believe this link will solve your question:

http://bautforum.com/showpost.php?p=802729&postcount=9

(I asked this same quesiton)

Answer 8

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