Distant object found orbiting Sun

[telfrow]

From BBC News...<br /><br /><font color="yellow">Astronomers have found a large object in the Solar System's outer reaches. It is being hailed as "a great discovery". <br />Details of the object are still sketchy. It never comes closer to the Sun than Neptune and spends most of its time much further out than Pluto. <br /><br />It is one of the largest objects ever found in the outer Solar System and is almost certainly made of ice and rock. <br /><br />It is at least 1,500km (930 miles) across and may be larger than Pluto, which is 2,274km (1,400 miles) across. <br /><br />The uncertainty in estimates of its size is due to errors in its reflectivity. <br /><br />It might be a large, dim object, or a smaller, brighter object. Whatever it is, astronomers consider it a major discovery.</font><br /><br />Full story here:<br /><br />http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4726733.stm <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <strong><font color="#3366ff">Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will to strive, to seek, to find and not to yeild.</font> - <font color="#3366ff"><em>Tennyson</em></font></strong> </div>

 

[silylene old]

I wonder if it has a Sedna-like orbit? <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature" align="center"><em><font color="#0000ff">- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -</font></em> </div><div class="Discussion_UserSignature" align="center"><font color="#0000ff"><em>I really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function.</em></font> </div> </div>

 

[thechemist]

It's interesting that it appears also to have a satellite circling it. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <em>I feel better than James Brown.</em> </div>

 

[grooble]

Wouldn't that make it a planet?

 

[silylene old]

*deleted* duplication due to lag <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature" align="center"><em><font color="#0000ff">- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -</font></em> </div><div class="Discussion_UserSignature" align="center"><font color="#0000ff"><em>I really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function.</em></font> </div> </div>

 

[silylene old]

*deleted* duplication due to lag <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature" align="center"><em><font color="#0000ff">- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -</font></em> </div><div class="Discussion_UserSignature" align="center"><font color="#0000ff"><em>I really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function.</em></font> </div> </div>

 

[silylene old]

Not necessarily. Remember the asteroid Ida has a satellite, Dactyl? There are also a couple of suspected Kuiper-belt paired-objects.<br /><br />We had a real nice thread, pre-SDC meltdown on the definition of a planet. There are many requirements for possible "planethood". <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature" align="center"><em><font color="#0000ff">- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -</font></em> </div><div class="Discussion_UserSignature" align="center"><font color="#0000ff"><em>I really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function.</em></font> </div> </div>

 

[thechemist]

That "planethood" thread was good.<br />Slinted posted links to two conference abstracts from the Sedna group, the second one is about the satellite, in the unmannedspaceflight forum.<br />Here is the link to that thread : post #3 <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <em>I feel better than James Brown.</em> </div>

 

[soapbox_harry]

Sounds like a good place for the Palistinian homeland...<br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <strong><font color="#0000ff">Just another bitter clinger.....</font></strong> </div>

 

[telfrow]

Leave it in Free Space. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <strong><font color="#3366ff">Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will to strive, to seek, to find and not to yeild.</font> - <font color="#3366ff"><em>Tennyson</em></font></strong> </div>

 

[vogon13]

Would it be wise to have the Hubble space telescope examine the flight paths for Voyager 1 and 2 and see if they may approach, even distantly, any of these fascinationg objects?<br /><br />Granted, they are old and the sun is dim out there, but some good cheap science may be available with just a small effort. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#ff0000"><strong>TPTB went to Dallas and all I got was Plucked !!</strong></font></p><p><font color="#339966"><strong>So many people, so few recipes !!</strong></font></p><p><font color="#0000ff"><strong>Let's clean up this stinkhole !!</strong></font> </p> </div>

 

[yurkin]

They can track the position of the Voyagers by using the Deep Space Network. I’m sure they are way to faint to be seen by Hubble.

 

[volcanopele2]

I don't think he means for Hubble to look for the Voyager. I think he means looking at the region in the sky where the Voyager will be headed for the next 50 AU to see if any large TNOs will be in their vicinity.

 

[ehs40]

what should it be named i know it has an unoffical name but lets just try to get a good name for it

 

[vogon13]

That is correct, any objects near the Voyager flight paths should be investigated. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#ff0000"><strong>TPTB went to Dallas and all I got was Plucked !!</strong></font></p><p><font color="#339966"><strong>So many people, so few recipes !!</strong></font></p><p><font color="#0000ff"><strong>Let's clean up this stinkhole !!</strong></font> </p> </div>

 

[cyrostir]

whats the sparse operating systems on voyager? is ther still an imaging system working?

 

[vogon13]

IIRC, most of the instruments still work, but light levels so low cameras probably not very useful at their distance. Also, decay of power supply will restrict how much equipment can operate at same time. Voyager II has the better camera and has more computer memory working. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#ff0000"><strong>TPTB went to Dallas and all I got was Plucked !!</strong></font></p><p><font color="#339966"><strong>So many people, so few recipes !!</strong></font></p><p><font color="#0000ff"><strong>Let's clean up this stinkhole !!</strong></font> </p> </div>

 

[gavino]

"Wouldn't that make it a planet? " It is planet becouse its bigger than Pluto. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><span style="font-style:italic" class="Apple-style-span">gavinovz</span></p><p> </p> </div>

 

[bad_drawing]

Actually there are two planets named after female gods (Goddesses) Venus: Roman Goddess of beauty, and Earth, which is the Roman version of the greek Goddess Terra Mater which means Earth Mother. <br /><br />And I agree...there will be other bodies found out there. This is very exciting! I wonder if there could be some truly massive rocky/icy bodies (perhaps Mars or Earth size) far out there with orbits as inclined to the ecliptic. I wonder if objects orbiting at those angles would prevent us from seeing the orbits perturbed of the planets in the ecliptic. Suddenly it just seems that we might have a lot more members of our planetary family then we ever thought!

 

[telfrow]

For now, they're calling it "Xena." <br /><br /><font color="yellow">Informally, the astronomers have been calling it "Xena" after the TV series about a Greek warrior princess, which was popular when the astronomers began their systematic sweep of the sky in 2000.<br /><br />"We always wanted to name something Xena," Brown said.</font><br /><br />http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/living/science/12263703.htm<br /><br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <strong><font color="#3366ff">Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will to strive, to seek, to find and not to yeild.</font> - <font color="#3366ff"><em>Tennyson</em></font></strong> </div>

 

[Grok]

Why have most planets settled along the ecliptic, but somehow this large object hasn't? Is it a new object which hasn't adjusted to the ecliptic?

 

[ehs40]

may be it hasnt stttled into the eliptic because it is so far away??

 

[Grok]

That could be it. Now, I wonder if it stays at the same angle year round or if its orbit is wobbly.

 

[ehs40]

well it could take us a long time to tell

 

[nexium]

The past 4 billion years, planets likely have no tendecy to settle into the eliptic. Many of the inner planetismals that were far from the eliptic were ejected by sling shot manuver. Some of these ejected planetismals likely are still in the Oort cloud. That's my guess. Neil