Astonomers Detect New Planet In Solar System

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.

Full item:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4730061.stm

--
Dan

http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n0507/29planet/


"zAz (Dan)" wrote in message
...
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.

Full item:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4730061.stm

--
Dan

"zAz \(Dan\)" wrote:

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.

Full item:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4730061.stm

There appears to be some confusion as to whether this new object really
is larger than Pluto. According to New Scientist, new data indicates
a diameter "70 percent" of Pluto's:
http://www.newscientistspace.com/art...system-world-h
as-a-moon.html

Whereas all the other reports that I've seen state that it is at least
marginally bigger than Pluto. If indeed the new object does turn out to
be larger than Pluto, it'll be interesting to see what impact it will
have on the current official classification of Pluto as a planet.

(Marcus O'Neill)said

"zAz \(Dan\)" wrote:

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.

Full item:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4730061.stm

There appears to be some confusion as to whether this new object really
is larger than Pluto. According to New Scientist, new data indicates
a diameter "70 percent" of Pluto's:
http://www.newscientistspace.com/art...system-world-h
as-a-moon.html

The New Scientist article refers to EL61 not the new discovery named
UB313 - the subject of this thread.

Whereas all the other reports that I've seen state that it is at least
marginally bigger than Pluto. If indeed the new object does turn out to
be larger than Pluto, it'll be interesting to see what impact it will
have on the current official classification of Pluto as a planet.

What is astounding is that there could be any confusion in a discussion
about a potential new planet - there might be a third along any minute


JG

JG wrote:


The New Scientist article refers to EL61 not the new discovery named
UB313 - the subject of this thread.

N.S's website now has the story about UB313, thus ending the confusion:
http://www.newscientistspace.com/article.ns?id=dn7763
I
What is astounding is that there could be any confusion in a discussion
about a potential new planet - there might be a third along any minute


We live in exciting times indeed! I wonder what else might turn up in
the Kuiper Belt and beyond.

Well, what can I say? When one makes a "virtual bridge" theory that's a

great leap of faith... a complete shot in the dark... well, okay
reasoned with some hard science too, it's nice to see discoveries like
these being made that confirms the hypotheses.

"Reaching Alpha Centauri using the resources of comets & planetoids"
could become a reality some day:-


http://uk.geocities.com/aa_spaceagen...tellar-propuls...



Somehow, I can't see many of us still being around to see it happen
though!


:-)


Abdul Ahad

Oops... that link ought to have been:

http://uk.geocities.com/aa_spaceagen...ropulsion.html

AA

Is it orbiting the Sun? In an orbit gravitationally bound to the Solar
System? How do we know?

If not, it can't be called the '10th planet'.

John.

"zAz (Dan)" wrote:

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.

Full item:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4730061.stm

--
Dan

"John Irwin" wrote in message
...

Is it orbiting the Sun? In an orbit gravitationally bound to the Solar
System? How do we know?

If not, it can't be called the '10th planet'.

John.


John

Why are you casting doubt on this?

"Currently known by the catalog number 2003UB313, the newly discovered
planet wheels about in an elliptical orbit tilted some 45 degrees to the
plane of the solar system's eight major planets, taking 560 years to
complete one trip around the sun.
"At its most distant, the planet is a remote 97 times farther from the sun
than the Earth. At its closest, it passes inside the orbit of Pluto at a
distance of some 36 astronomical units. It is currently the most distant
object known in the solar system, so far removed that its surface
temperature is a frigid 30 degrees above absolute zero."

Regards, Roger

In message , John Irwin
writes

John.

"zAz (Dan)" wrote:

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.

Full item:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4730061.stm

Is it orbiting the Sun? In an orbit gravitationally bound to the Solar
System? How do we know?

If not, it can't be called the '10th planet'.

Top posting fixed.

Does the word "orbit" sound familiar, as in "44-degree orbit"? Yes, they
have multiple observations so they have an orbit. I haven't yet found
the details, though.
--
Remove spam and invalid from address to reply.