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CJ Cregg
Commodore
Joined: 05 Oct 2002
Posts: 1254
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 Fri Jul 29, 2005 7:27 pm Astronomers detect '10th planet' |
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| Quote: | Astronomers detect '10th planet'
By Dr David Whitehouse
Science Editor BBC news website
Astronomers have detected what they are calling the '10th planet' orbiting our Sun.
It is bigger than Pluto, the ninth planet, which is 2,250 km across, and was discovered by three US astronomers.
It is the largest object found in our Solar System since the discovery of Neptune in 1846.
The object, designated 2003 UB313, is currently 97 Earth-Sun distances away - more than twice Pluto's average distance from the Sun.
It is in a peculiar orbit, unlike that of the other planets. Astronomers think that at some point in its history Neptune likely flung it into its highly inclined 44 degree orbit.
Bigger than Pluto
Its discoverers are Michael Brown of Caltech, Chad Trujillo of the Gemini Observatory in Hawaii and David Rabinowitz of Yale University.
David Rabinowitz told the BBC News website: "It has been a remarkable day and a remarkable year. 2003 UB313 is probably larger than Pluto. It is fainter than Pluto, but three times farther away.
"Brought to the same distance from the Sun as Pluto, it would be brighter. So today the world knows that Pluto is not unique. There are other Plutos, just farther out in the solar system where they are a little harder to find."
It was picked up using the Samuel Oschin Telescope at Palomar Observatory and the 8-metre Gemini North telescope on Mauna Kea.
Chad Trujillo told the BBC News website: "I feel extremely lucky to be part of a discovery as exciting as this. It's not every day that you find something Pluto-sized or larger!"
"The spectra that we took at the Gemini Observatory are particularly interesting because it shows that the surface of 2003 UB313 is very similar to that of Pluto."
Slow mover
It was first seen 21 October 2003, but didn't see it move in the sky until looking at the same area 15 months later on 8 January 2005.
The researchers say they tried looking for it with the Spitzer Space Telescope which is sensitive to heat radiation, and didn't detect it.
This gives them an upper limit of its size of 3,000 km, they say. The lower limit still makes it larger than Pluto.
The discovery of 2003 UB313 comes just after the announcement of the finding of 2003 EL61, which appears to be a little smaller than Pluto. |
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webtaz99
Commodore
Joined: 13 Nov 2003
Posts: 1229
Location: The Other Side
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| Fri Jul 29, 2005 8:53 pm |
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Scientists who study planetary (and other) orbits have known for at least 15 years that something large was "out there", due to the perterbations of the orbits they studied. It's cool that it's finally been spotted.
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"History is made at night! Character is who you are in the dark." (Lord John Whorfin)
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CJ Cregg
Commodore
Joined: 05 Oct 2002
Posts: 1254
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| Fri Jul 29, 2005 9:50 pm |
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So will this be officially made the 10th planet do you think or will it be like the rest of the semi-large lumps of rock. They SHOULD make this an official planet due to the fact that it is twice the size of Pluto, the 9th planet
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Arellia
The Quiet One
Joined: 23 Jan 2003
Posts: 4425
Location: Dallas, TX
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| Fri Jul 29, 2005 10:13 pm |
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It seems like they've "miraculously" discovered a tenth planet a few dozen times in the past few years... or does my memory decieve me? Don't get me wrong, this time it does sound like something, but I'm getting tired of hearing 'It's the tenth planet!' every six to eight months, and then never hearing another word about it.
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Not the doctor... yet
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Hitchhiker
Rear Admiral
Joined: 11 Aug 2004
Posts: 3514
Location: Ontario, Canada
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| Sat Jul 30, 2005 12:52 am |
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| CJ Cregg wrote: | | So will this be officially made the 10th planet do you think or will it be like the rest of the semi-large lumps of rock. They SHOULD make this an official planet due to the fact that it is twice the size of Pluto, the 9th planet |
That begs the question whether or not Pluto is a planet. 
I'll have to agree with Exalya here. Astronomers are still squabbling about what actually makes a planet, let's get some definitions down before we start going around counting things.
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LightningBoy
Commodore
Joined: 09 Mar 2003
Posts: 1446
Location: Minnesota, U.S.A.
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| Sat Jul 30, 2005 1:15 am |
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There have been other similar discoveries to this before. Essentially, if today's astronomers had discovered Pluto, they wouldn't have considered it a planet. It's really just a kaiper belt object, much like the rest of these. But since Pluto was discovered way ahead of its time, it gets the special honor of being a legitimate planet. Anywho, there are hundreds of ice/rock balls in the outer reaches of the solar system, which could be considered planets. Really, if you were to conseder this a planet, it would be at least #11, since Quaror, a similar 'planet' was discovered about a year or two ago.
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CJ Cregg
Commodore
Joined: 05 Oct 2002
Posts: 1254
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| Sat Jul 30, 2005 6:33 am |
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They have know about this new one since 2003, they justwanted to confirm it. The new one is the LARGEST of ALL the Kuiper belt objects including pluto. The rest are at least 1000km smaller than them so arnt planets. 2003 UB313 is the only one bigger and therfore is a PLANET.
Quaoar is only 1260KM �190, thats 1000KM smaller than pluto.
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madlilnerd
Duchess of Dancemat
Joined: 03 Aug 2004
Posts: 5885
Location: Slough, England
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| Sat Jul 30, 2005 6:43 am |
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Any name ideas for the new planet? I recommend Kim.
I bet that planet is pretty darn cold.
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LightningBoy
Commodore
Joined: 09 Mar 2003
Posts: 1446
Location: Minnesota, U.S.A.
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| Sat Jul 30, 2005 12:10 pm |
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| CJ Cregg wrote: | They have know about this new one since 2003, they justwanted to confirm it. The new one is the LARGEST of ALL the Kuiper belt objects including pluto. The rest are at least 1000km smaller than them so arnt planets. 2003 UB313 is the only one bigger and therfore is a PLANET.
Quaoar is only 1260KM �190, thats 1000KM smaller than pluto. |
Well, Pluto, for all intents and purposes, is not a planet. It just gets that title because it was discovered way ahead of its time.
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Curtis
Fleet Admiral
Joined: 29 Sep 2001
Posts: 14903
Location: Wisconsin
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| Sat Jul 30, 2005 12:19 pm |
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| Exalya wrote: | | It seems like they've "miraculously" discovered a tenth planet a few dozen times in the past few years... or does my memory decieve me? Don't get me wrong, this time it does sound like something, but I'm getting tired of hearing 'It's the tenth planet!' every six to eight months, and then never hearing another word about it. |
I agree with you. Remember the "mysterious Planet X?" Whatever happened to that? Just disappear? Or made into another story...this is truly getting old; however, it is good that this could be the true tenth planet.
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Birdy
Socialist
Joined: 20 Sep 2004
Posts: 13502
Location: Here.
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| Sat Jul 30, 2005 12:47 pm |
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 Really?? I didn't know that!! That's SOOO cool! I love it when scientist discover something new in the universe. Maybe one day we'll know how big it really is...   
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Nosce te ipsum
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