INBOX ASTRONOMY: NEWS ALERT -- "FARTHEST, FAINTEST SOLAR SYSTEM OBJECTS FOUND BEYOND NEPTUNE" (STScI-PR03-25)

INBOX ASTRONOMY: NEWS ALERT -- "FARTHEST, FAINTEST SOLAR SYSTEM OBJECTS
FOUND BEYOND NEPTUNE" (STScI-PR03-25)

EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE: 3:00 P.M. (EDT) SEPTEMBER 6, 2003

CONTACT:
Steve Bradt
University of Pennsylvania
Phone: 215/573-6604; Pager: 215/524-6272

Donna Weaver
Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, Md.
Phone: 410/338-4493; E-mail:

PRESS RELEASE NO.: STScI-PR03-25

FARTHEST, FAINTEST SOLAR SYSTEM OBJECTS FOUND BEYOND NEPTUNE

Astronomers using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope have discovered three of
the faintest and smallest objects ever detected beyond Neptune. Each
object is a lump of ice and rock -- roughly the size of Philadelphia --
orbiting beyond Neptune and Pluto, where the icy bodies may have dwelled
since the formation of the solar system 4.5 billion years ago. They
reside in a ring-shaped region called the Kuiper Belt, which houses a
swarm of icy rocks that are leftover building blocks, or
"planetesimals," from the solar system's creation. The biggest surprise
of the Hubble search is that so few small Kuiper Belt members were
discovered. With Hubble's exquisite resolution, Gary Bernstein and his
co-workers expected to find at least 60 Kuiper Belt members as small as
10 miles (15 km) in diameter -- but only three were found. Two snapshots,
taken 12 hours apart, were combined to produce this Hubble Space
Telescope image of a Kuiper Belt object (named 2000 FV53) moving across
the sky. Hubble's Advanced Camera for Surveys tracked the object on Jan.
26, 2003. Like all the planets, this solar-system member appears to move
relative to the fixed stars and galaxies in the background. This
particular object was discovered from Hawaii in March 2000 and used to
help target the Hubble observations.

To see and read more, please click on
http://hubblesite.org/news/2003/25
http://www.upenn.edu/pennnews/news.php

The Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) is operated by the
Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc. (AURA),
for NASA, under contract with the Goddard Space Flight Center,
Greenbelt, MD. The Hubble Space Telescope is a project of
international cooperation between NASA and the European Space
Agency (ESA).

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HST NEWS RELEASES wrote:
INBOX ASTRONOMY: NEWS ALERT -- "FARTHEST, FAINTEST SOLAR SYSTEM OBJECTS
FOUND BEYOND NEPTUNE" (STScI-PR03-25)

EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE: 3:00 P.M. (EDT) SEPTEMBER 6, 2003

CONTACT:
Steve Bradt
University of Pennsylvania
Phone: 215/573-6604; Pager: 215/524-6272

Donna Weaver
Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, Md.
Phone: 410/338-4493; E-mail:

PRESS RELEASE NO.: STScI-PR03-25

FARTHEST, FAINTEST SOLAR SYSTEM OBJECTS FOUND BEYOND NEPTUNE

Astronomers using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope have discovered three of
the faintest and smallest objects ever detected beyond Neptune. Each
object is a lump of ice and rock -- roughly the size of Philadelphia

An insteresting standard of comparison, Philadelphia. I wonder how they
came up with that choice? How many really know the physical size of
Philadelphia?

Phil

It this something we need to blame on George W. Bush??

Clear, Dark, Steady Skies!
(And considerate neighbors!!!)

On 07 Sep 2003 17:40:15 GMT, lonk (Bill Foley)
inscribed in blood upon a parchment:

It this something we need to blame on George W. Bush??

Give it 24 hours and IndyMedia and the Democratic Underground will be
blaming Bush and the "Zionazis" for the absence of proper planet Xs in
the Kuiper Belt and that what Kuiper Belt objects there are actually
belong to the Palestinians.

Best,
Dave

Author of the Supernovae and Supernova Remnants FAQ
http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/supernova/
Visions of Light, Visions of Darkness - B&W Photography of Wessex
http://www.valinor.freeserve.co.uk/visions.html