I think that there was a substantial chance that Charon would have been
discovered exactly during the eclipse season. Considering the fact that PLuto was
getting closer to its perihelion point ( 1989 ), one would expect that big world
telescopes would place it inside its "focal point". This would be a real "jaw
dropper" , if Charon was discovered exactly during the eclipse season
Please note that the point of perihelion and the point of PLutonian equinox (
max. eclipses )
have nothing in common. It is simply a random coincidence that they happen now
almost
exactly at the same time.

If you are interested in other shocking coincidences surrounding PLuto+Charon,
please visit my site.


Jonathan Silverlight wrote:

In message , Mike Dworetsky
writes
"wnowak" wrote in message
...
took place on 18th of February 1930 - almost exactly 75 years ago.

However, the sattelite of PLuto Charon remained not discovered for ...
48 YEARS !
It was ACCIDENTLY discovered on pictures of PLuto in 1978.

The technology needed to discover Charon existed for all 48 years ( from
1930 to 1978 ).

Why it was not discovered ?

It was only when Christy used a relatively large (1.5-m, ISTR) telescope to
get precise astrometry from a high-quality mountaintop site (for prediction
of possible occultations) that he noticed a small bump on one side of the
planet's image. He might have simply dismissed it as a background star or a
flaw, but because it was on several images in different positions he
realised it was a satellite.

Interesting stuff snipped.

Can you imagine the feelings of astronomers if Charon hadn't been
discovered until 1990, and they realised they had missed a series of
eclipses which won't recur for over a century? :-)
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