The object, designated 2003 EL61, is about 930 miles (1,500 kilometers) across, according to Mike Brown, an astronomer at the California Institute of Technology, who led the U.S-based team. The team announced its discovery today.
The object also has a moon.
2003 EL61 and its satellite are located in the Kuiper belt, a region beyond Neptune that includes Pluto and the recently discovered large planet-like objects Quaoar and Orcus...
...The astronomers are classifying the newly discovered object as a "scattered Kuiper belt object."
What gets me, which I hope some astronomically inclined Member can answer, is why it's not considered a planet? It has a fixed orbit, is about the size of Pluto, and has a moon. Why not a planet?
Because no-ones even sure if Pluto should be classed as a planet. It fits better as a 'large kuiper belt object'.
FYI, there were three large kuiper objects discovered recently. One of the others, 2003 UB313, which is larger than Pluto and three times further from the sun, is the largest object yet discovered in the Kuiper belt.
Thanks. So essentially, Pluto should be downgraded?
What difference does it make? What are the "criteria" as it were, for "planets"? Does it have something to do with being part of said belt? (In that "planets" should be "free-standing"? (lots of " " aren't there? ) )
And are these the ones you were talking about?
the recently discovered large planet-like objects Quaoar and Orcus...
There was some sort of movement to downgrade Pluto, but the international astronomical community put it down, pretty much. The consensus was that if anything in the solar system was discovered that was any bigger, it would be also classified as a planet.
This new one will be called either Setna or Xena (?) or some such thing last time I heard.
I happen to agree with those that prefer to leave Pluto classified as a planet. There was some debate back when Sedna was first discovered. I wondered if a similarly sized object to Pluto couldn't also be designated as a planet. The fact that there are apparently many as yet undiscovered "large kuiper belt objects" that are going to be cataloged in the near future means the debate will probably not end here. Imagine if it turns out that there is a "Gas Giant" sized object found in the belt. How do you classify that as other than a planet? Time will tell.
"If you can't tell the difference, what difference does it make?"
I'm content with whatever astronomers deign to call Pluto. Might be a tad silly to "downgrade" Pluto after all these years of acknowledging it as a planet, but I won't lose sleep over it if they ever do. Heh, poor Pluto gets no respect.
A chunk of rock and ice that may be a planet has been discovered in the farthest reaches of the solar system, astronomers announced Friday. The object, currently called 2003 UB313, orbits the sun and is larger than Pluto, traditionally considered the ninth planet in the solar system.
The news came hot on the heels of the announcement of the discovery of a separate planet-like object at the edge of the solar system (see "New Pluto-Size Object Discovered in Solar System")—and amid fears that a rogue astronomer may been attempting to announce the UB313 discovery as his or her own.
And sorry LoreMaster, just teasing you, you know. (I'm ashamed to admit I derive some pleasure from it. But you're in distinguished company with MatrixMan you know. )
--A
Last edited by Avatar on Tue Aug 02, 2005 6:58 am, edited 1 time in total.
A chunk of rock and ice that may be a planet has been discovered in the farthest reaches of the solar system, astronomers announced Friday. The object, currently called 2003 UB313, orbits the sun and is larger than Pluto, traditionally considered the ninth planet in the solar system.
The news came hot on the heels of the announcement of the discovery of a separate planet-like object at the edge of the solar system (see "New Pluto-Size Object Discovered in Solar System")—and amid fears that a rogue astronomer may been attempting to announce the UB313 discovery as his or her own.
Yeah, that's the one I meant. The people who announced that one had also found the first one mentioned here and one other, but both are smaller than UB313. Apparently they had intended to find out more about them before announcing the discovery, but then another group went and announced the discovery of 2003 EL61.
Dr Brown and his team have christened it Xena, after the warrior princess in the old television series, "... because we always wanted to name something Xena". But the formal decision on a name will be made by the International Astronomical Union.
"It is not the literal past that rules us, save, possibly, in a biological sense. It is images of the past. Each new historical era mirrors itself in the picture and active mythology of its past or of a past borrowed from other cultures. It tests its sense of identity, of regress or new achievement against that past.”
-George Steiner
"It is not the literal past that rules us, save, possibly, in a biological sense. It is images of the past. Each new historical era mirrors itself in the picture and active mythology of its past or of a past borrowed from other cultures. It tests its sense of identity, of regress or new achievement against that past.”
-George Steiner
So essentially, Pluto should be downgraded? 
) )
