Pluto's New Blush of Colour

Pluto is warming up, say NASA scientists who this week released photos taken of the dwarf planet in 2002 and 2003. The Hubble telescope images show mottling, including molasses-coloured patches that are redder than normal for Pluto. Scientists believe ice at the sunny pole is melting, and then refreezing on the other pole.

It may take photos from Hubble for us to see Pluto's goings on, but Montreal astronomer Marc Jobin says that anyone with a small telescope or the right pair of binoculars can see the same things Galileo did, four hundred years ago when Champlain was busy building his Habitation in Quebec City. Craters on the moon, the phases of Venus, some of Jupiter's moons are all within reach for an amateur astronomer.

Jobin, who works at the Montreal Planetarium recommends aspiring astronomers begin with simple, inexpensive equipment such as a star finder and a simple astronomy manual along the lines of Terence Dickinson's Backyard Astronomers Guide. Interested youngsters and their families may also enjoy the "Passport to the Stars" show at the planetarium, while waiting for more news of the changes on Pluto when the New Horizons probe reaches it in 2015.

Telescope: Passport to the Stars is a multimedia exploration of the night sky and its stars. It is recommended for children and adults, aged 9 and up. The show continues daily while the planetarium is open, until May 9^th.

Show times:

English: 15:30; French: 13:15 & 15:45

The planetarium is open daily, from Tuesday through Sunday. From February 27 to March 7, it will also be open on Mondays for the spring break. Allow time before of after the show, to visit the exhibition hall.

Admission Fees:

Entrance to the planetarium's exhibition hall is always free. Admission to multimedia shows is $8 for adults and $4 for young people; children under 5 see the shows free of charge.

The Montreal Planetarium is located at 1000 St. Jacques West, near Bonaventure Metro. Check the web site for directions and parking information. Call (514) 872-4530 for more details on any of the showings, or to book a group or school visit.

About the Montreal Planetarium

The Montreal Planetarium is Canada's oldest and largest planetarium. It opened in 1966, just in time for Canada's Centennial celebrations and Expo '67. Since its opening it has produced more than 250 shows, given 58,000 presentations and been visited by more than 6 million spectators.

In 2012 it is slated to move from its original building to a new location near the Olympic Stadium in the eastern part of Montreal. Here it will join physically with the Botanical Gardens, Insectarium and Biodome. These four institutions together form Montreal's Nature Museums - the largest natural science museum in Canada.

Books and Web Sites

Astronomy K-2 (Intellego Unit Studies) - Aligned with state and national learning standards

Cool Cosmos (NASA) - Games, video, interactive learning

Cosmos4Kids (Andrew Rader Sudios) - Basic astronomy, interactive

Cyber School Series Astronomy & Space (Ready-Ed Publications) - Incorporates computer and research skills

KidsAstronomy (Kids Know It Network) - Student and teacher resources, including online classes

Mind-Boggling Science (Saddleback Educational Publications) - Specializing in high interest, low vocabulary texts

Science Action Labs: Astronomy (Teaching & Learning Company) - Reading & hands-on experimentation

StarChild Learning Center and Imagine the Universe!(NASA) - Learning resources for younger & older children

Teaching Astronomy Through Art (Visual Manna) - For those who are more artistically than scientifically inclined!

Sources:

"Blushing Pluto? Dwarf planet takes on a ruddier hue: NASA" Canwest News

Montreal Planetarium web site

"The telescope: Passport to the stars" Steven Howell (Press Republican)

"Video of Pluto rotating" NASA