An amazing find. Just for some perspective, here's a back-of-the-envelope sort of axial view of the solar system that gives you an approximation of the distance(s) at which Sedna orbits. It's highly eccentric, so I show its aphelion and perihelion.
S=sun e=Earth mean radius(1 AU) p=Pluto mean radius (39.5 AU) @=Sedna aphelion (75 AU) s=Sedna perihelion (800 AU) [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sorry if that line-wraps. It certainly gets out there, doesn't it? Article doesn't say, but I'm sure it was spotted near the aphelion. Makes you wonder how many other similar objects are out there, but currently too far away for us to take notice. --- LARRY KLAES <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > This article is also available on the web at: > > http://www.spacetoday.net/getsummary.php?id=2252<http://www.spacetoday.net/getsummary.php?id=2252> > . > > Report: large KBO discovered > ============================================================ > Posted: Sun, Mar 14 2:15 PM ET (1915 GMT) > > NASA is scheduled to announced Monday the discovery > of a > distant Kuiper Belt object (KBO) nearly as large as > the > planet Pluto, an Australian newspaper reported > Sunday. An > article in The Australian revealed that astronomers > had > found an object provisionally called Sedna -- the > Inuit > goddess of the sea -- orbiting the Sun at a distance > of ten > billion kilometers. Observations suggest the object > may be > 2,000 kilometers in diameter, which would make it > not only > the largest KBO but nearly as large as the planet > Pluto. > NASA announced Friday that it would hold a press > conference > Monday at 1 pm EST (1800 GMT) to discuss what it > called an > "unusual solar object" that was the most distant > body found > to date orbiting the Sun, but offered no other > details. > While The Australian article offered no details > regarding > how the object was discovered, the NASA announcement > of the > press conference includes links (not yet activated) > to the > web site of the Spitzer Space Telescope, an infrared > observatory launched last year. > > Related Links: > -------------- > The Australian article: > http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,8968352%255E29098,00.html<http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,8968352%5E29098,00.html> > NASA announcement of press conference : > http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2004/mar/HQ_n04040_solar_object.html<http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2004/mar/HQ_n04040_solar_object.html> > > > Visit > http://www.spacetoday.net/<http://www.spacetoday.net/> > to get the latest space > news summaries and links to space news articles > published > throughout the web. If you have any questions about > this > service, please contact us at > [EMAIL PROTECTED]<mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>. > > __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail - More reliable, more storage, less spam http://mail.yahoo.com == You are subscribed to the Europa Icepick mailing list: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Project information and list (un)subscribe info: http://klx.com/europa/
