NASA Observatory Watches Pluto Pass in Front of Distant Star

While New Horizons was still on its approach to the Pluto, NASA and German scientists took the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) up and watched the dwarf planet cross in front of a distant star, an event known as occultation. The flight took meticulous planning to make sure the aircraft was in the right place at the right time to be in Pluto’s “shadow” on earth. Credit: YouTube/NASA