New planet discovered at 92 AU

[Inferno]

http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2005/29jul_planetx.htm?list757502

 

If Pluto is considered a planet, this definately should be.

[Martin]

There's a java animation of its orbit and some other stuff

 

here is an article in spaceflight now

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

 

here is the table of observational data

http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/mpec/K05/K05O41.html

 

here is the java thingee

http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/orbits/2003ub313.html

 

 

Mike Brown is saying he estimates that it is one and a half times the size of Pluto. His team has proposed a name, but he wont say what it is until it's made official.

[Martin]

http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2005/29jul_planetx.htm?list757502

 

If Pluto is considered a planet' date=' this definately should be.[/quote']

 

 

I agree with Inferno. this thing is larger than Pluto, probably 1 and 1/2

times Pluto diameter

 

either we have to downgrade pluto and make it not be a planet but a "minor solar system object" or a "kuiper belt object"

 

or else if we keep Pluto being a planet then, like Inferno says, this thing called "2003 UB313" has to be a planet

 

Try this JAVA orbits thing:

 

http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/orbits/2003ub313.html

 

You need to reset the TIME STEP to "1 year"

if you leave it at the default like "1 day" it will move too slow

so there is this little menu and you set the timestep to 1 year

and then you click on the "fast forward" sign >>

 

or the fast backward <<

 

either one will work

[Martin]

adding to the links about the story Inferno flagged

http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/050729_new_planet.html

 

my personal opinion is I'd rather call Pluto a "Kuiper Belt Planet" and start a new list

 

so there would be 8 planets:

 

mercury, venus, earth mars

jupiter, saturn, uranus, neptune

 

and then there would be a growing list of KBP

pluto, sedna, thisone 2003UB313 whatever they name it, and so on.

 

 

so I'd rather not call pluto a planet and I'd like it if they would start a new category of "kuiper belters"

 

but the trouble is, you can't dictate to people their language. decisions about language mostly just happen. words gradually change their meaning in ways we dont control

 

any opinions? sounded like Inferno wanted to call it a planet.

and for sure the guy who discovered it wants to call it a planet!

 

but Brian Marsden, a guy I respect a lot, said he'd rather not, rather get a new term for these things

[Nisou]

i just read that it was hidden before because its at a 45 degree angle, so.. does this mean that people will start discovering more and more planets since they've never looked in this area before?

[[Tycho?]]

i just read that it was hidden before because its at a 45 degree angle, so.. does this mean that people will start discovering more and more planets since they've never looked in this area before?

 

It could be. Just look up at the sky, a multitude of tiny points. With a telescope you can see more, and more, and more....

 

We could have missed a bunch of objects that arn't on the plane of the ecliptic, there is an incredible amount of space that such objects can hide in.

[Martin]

[T] put it well. I agree, they should be finding a bunch more

[Inferno]

I'd like to call it a planet, but I'd be content with starting a list of Kuiper Belt Objects.

[parkinho]

I am also of the opinion that Pluto should be downgraded from its status as a planet, and a placed under the title of 'Kuiper Belt Object' along with Sedna, 2003UB313, etc.