More astronomy news

[gsh]

There were actually *three* Kuiper Belt Objects (KBO's) announced yesterday.

Anyone with a good definition of "planet" please contact the IAU, we really need one.

1. 2003 UB313 @ 97 AU
Twice as big as Pluto (diameter)
Orbit inclined at 44 degrees
Period 557 years
Very bright object, Magnitude 18.9
Discoverer: Brown

2. 2005 EL61 @ 51 AU
0.70 as big as Pluto (diameter) but ELONGATED
0.32 the mass of Pluto
Orbit inclined at 28 degrees
Period 285 years
Also bright object, Mag 17.5
"seen" in 12" scope by amateurs
within hours of announcement
Has a moon 1% of primary mass in 49-day orbit
Discoverer: Ortiz; Moon discovered by Brown
who had also discovered the primary
but did not announce first

3. 2005 FY9 @ 52 AU
"less than" the diameter of Pluto but not by too much
Orbit inclined at 29 degrees
Period 308 years
Also pretty bright for a KBO
Discoverer: Brown

Comments

[whitebird.livejournal.com]

Yay! More potential bases for alien death rays to emanate from!

We need more shuttle flights so we can turn the Hubbel into a giant laser defense satellite!