I suppose this will reignite that sterile debate about whether Pluto is a planet, by any reasonable definition of "planet." To my mind, any reasonable definition of "planet" would include objects that happened to have liquid oceans ....
-michael turner [EMAIL PROTECTED] ----- Original Message ----- From: "Mark Schnitzius" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Monday, March 15, 2004 12:37 PM Subject: OT: Report: large KBO discovered > > 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) > > Se--------------------------------------p----------------------------------- @--------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------s- > > 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/g etsummary.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%255E29 098,00.html<http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,89 68352%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/ > > == You are subscribed to the Europa Icepick mailing list: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Project information and list (un)subscribe info: http://klx.com/europa/
