Friday, July 29, 2005

Astronomers have found a large planetary object in the Solar System's outer reaches. It is being hailed as 'a great discovery'.
Details of the object are still sketchy. It never comes closer to the Sun than Neptune and spends most of its time much further out than Pluto.

1 comment:

  1. There are actually three new large Kuiper Belt objects. Much confusion among them in the media:

    1. 2003 UB313
    distance 97 AU
    twice as big as Pluto (diameter)
    orbit inclined at 44 degrees
    period 557 years

    2. 2005 EL61
    distance 51 AU
    0.70 as big as Pluto (diameter) but elongated
    0.32 the mass of Pluto - they know the mass of this one because it has a tiny satellite
    orbit inclined at 28 degrees
    period 285 years

    3. 2005 FY9
    distance 52 AU
    slighty less than the diameter of Pluto
    orbit inclined at 29 degrees
    period 308 years

    The last one hasn't figured prominently in the media.

    No doubt many more will be discovered at which point it's "ho hum" YAKBO.

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