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Lot #381
Clyde W. Tombaugh Autograph Letter Signed

"Pluto's light is very faint, = 1 candle at a distance of 200 miles"

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Estimate: $200+
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Description

"Pluto's light is very faint, = 1 candle at a distance of 200 miles"

ALS, two pages, 8.5 x 11, New Mexico State University, Department of Astronomy letterhead, July 2, 1991. Handwritten letter to John Adams of Toronto, discussing Pluto's characteristics and detection, in part: "It is very cold on Pluto, mean - 380 degrees F below zero. Pluto's light is very faint, = 1 candle at a distance of 200 miles. There are over 15 million stars as bright or brighter than Pluto, which just looks like a star…As to finding a possible 10th planet, see my 2-page article in the April 1991 issue of Sky and Telescope magazine. The big problem is too many star images have to be viewed for shift in position. Each of my plates taken of the Milky Way regions recorded 200,000 to 1 million star images! The non-Milky Way contained about 50,000." In fine condition.

Auction Info

  • Auction Title: Fine Autograph and Artifacts, Ft. Animation
  • Dates: #620 - Ended November 10, 2021





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