Occultation Confirms Haze in Pluto s Atmosphere Press Release - Source: NASA
Pluto
SOFIA observed the occultation by Pluto of a bright star on 29 June 2015, enabling scientists to measure pressure, density, and temperature profiles of the atmosphere of the dwarf planet.
Pre-event astrometry allowed the SOFIA team to position the aircraft deep within the central flash zone, just 22 km from the center of the occultation path.
During the occultation, Pluto s shadow traveled at 53,000 mph across the Pacific Ocean. SOFIA flew from its Southern Hemisphere base in New Zealand to observe the occultation event for 120 seconds. It was the only observatory able to position itself in the predicted center of the shadow s path, and therefore able to observe a strong, distinct brightening near the middle of the occultation, called the central flash. This allowed scientists to probe Pluto s atmosphere at low altitudes.