In our astronomical history books, we learn that in February 18th, 1930, a planet we now know as Pluto was discovered by an American called Clyde W. Tombaugh. Ever since then, it was known as "the farthest celestial body in our Solar System."
Not anymore it is!!
Now, on the 15th of March 2004, NASA announced that there is a TENTH PLANET in our Solar System!! Actually, they have been suspecting this thing for quite a while now, and they have not confirmed that it is a planet yet (in fact, Pluto is not a planet either). All they know that they found by what is now rated as "the farthest celestial body in our Solar System."
They code-named this body 2003 VB12, but they unofficially named it Sedna, after the Inuit goddess...
By far, they know that Sedna is around 90 AU* away, and it is three-quarters the size of Pluto!!
Read more about Sedna here...
More Links:
-Space.com
-BBC News
Know more about Sedna, the goddess, here...
*AU (Astronomical Unit) is a scale used to measure distances in our Solar System; it is smaller than a Light Year. The AU is based on the distance between Earth and the Sun, which is 150 million Km (approx. 90 million miles). Thus, the distance between Earth and the Sun is exactly 1 AU.
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1. Pluto was named a planet because they didn't know there were other objects out there like it.
2. Pluto was NOT named in a contest!
3. Since finding all of these other objects, astonomers haven't been able to decide on the definition of a planet, ie just because it is spherical might not necessarily make it a planet-- it has yet to be decided. Distance has nothing to do with it.
4. Take note that the asteroid Ceres was considered a planet until astronomers realized it was just part of the asteroid belt. The Kupier belt is just like a larger asteroid belt.
5. If you must have a mnemonic, you're forgetting Varuna, Quaoar, Ixion, 2004 DW and 2002 AW197, the other major Kupier Belt objects found before Sedna. Also, Pluto's moon Charon is half the size of Pluto, and about the size of the other objects I just mentioned.
Here's a list of the KBO's.
Edited by - MEGAߥTE on 4/8/2004 8:42:21 PM