'New Planet' found in Solar System

[Guest guest]

Dear friends,

 

Here is an interesting news item that was posted on the

Australian " ABC " news service on Saturday, 30 July 2005 at 11:19am,

AEST -10:00 hours from GMT.

 

 

'New planet' found in solar system

 

A California astronomer has found what could be a new planet, a body

of rock and ice which orbits the sun every 560 years.

 

If confirmed, the discovery would be the first of a planet since

Pluto was identified in 1930.

 

California Institute of Technology astronomer Michael Brown says the

new body is the most distant object ever detected orbiting the sun

and ranks as the solar system's 10th planet.

 

The possible new planet is at least the size of Pluto and was

discovered orbiting about 14.5 billion kilometres from the sun.

 

Dr Brown says the object is a typical member of the Kuiper belt -

which extends from the orbit of Neptune out through the solar system

for about 3,000 million kilometres - but its sheer size in relation

to the nine known planets means it can only be classified as a

planet.

 

However, Dr Brown conceded that the discovery would likely rekindle

debate over the definition of a 'planet' and whether Pluto should

still be regarded as one.

 

Dr Brown says the new object was detected in January by the Samuel

Oschin Telescope at the Palomar Observatory near San Diego.

 

He says the planet went undiscovered for so long because its orbit

is tilted at a 45-degree angle to the orbital plane of the other

planets.

 

Dr Brown says the team has a name in mind for the planet but wants

to formally propose it before releasing it to the public.

 

Officially, the new planet is known as 2003UB313, though the New

York Times reports that astronomers have been calling it Xena, after

the television character named for a Greek warrior princess.

 

On his website, Dr Brown writes that the new planet is at least as

large as Pluto.

 

" Usually when we find these we don't know their size for certain,

only lower limits, " he wrote.

 

" The lower limit to this object is the size of Pluto. This object is

at least the size of Pluto and likely a bit larger. "

 

- ABC/AFP/Reuters