New dwarf planet found in our solar system

[The Sushi Bandit]

Source: NPR/Phys.org

A team of space scientists at the University of Michigan has discovered a dwarf planet that is approximately half the size of Pluto and twice as far from the sun. The sighting was reported by NPR, which interviewed team lead physicist David Gerdes. He told them credit goes to a group of students who were challenged to find some new objects to add to the ongoing construction of a galaxy map. Their efforts led to software that can be used to analyze imagery from the Dark Energy Camera (the camera used as part of the ongoing Dark Energy Survey). It looks for objects that are moving in any given patch of sky—a sure sign that they are in our solar system.


Read more: http://phys.org/news/2016-10-dwarf-planet-solar.html

[groundloop]

1. Interesting.

[muriel_volestrangler]

2. At 330 miles - 530km - across, that makes it about 50th in the list of possible dwarf planets

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_possible_dwarf_planets

To say "the team is not certain it will retain its status as a dwarf planet, but for now, it joins Makemake, Sedna, Eris and, of course, Pluto, as known dwarf planets that exist in our solar system" is highly misleading. Makemake, Haumea, Eris, Pluto and Ceres are official dwarf planets; Sedna and about 50 others are candidates that are bigger than this new discovery. It does not have the status of a dwarf planet yet.

[Achilleaze]

3. To honor the Republican party, astronomers are naming it MORAL MIDGET

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

4. This dwarf planet nonsense has only created more confusion

It seems to me the distinction should be between spherical bodies with observable geology and random bits of ice and rock orbiting the sun. I propose we call those spherical bodies with observable geology terrestrial planets.

[The Sushi Bandit]

5. What if it is an abandoned "Death Star?"

or... just hibernating!

[Quackers]

6. What makes you think it's abandoned?

[relayerbob]

7. There's nothing at all confusing about it

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

8. It's as logicial as asking a blind man to sort skittles by color

Other than Pluto and Ceres (and I suppose Triton), we know nothing about these bodies and what we do know of Pluto and Ceres makes them more like the terrestrial planets than not.

So suppose that the Kuiper Belt yields only several Pluto or Triton like bodies and the rest is just dead bits of rock and ice what is the rational for lumping these 50-200 objects together?

[relayerbob]

9. You do understand what the word "Terrestrial" means, right?

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

10. You know that the terrestrial planets refer to Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars.

I doubt you would have an opinion on the classification of dwarf planets otherwise.

[TeamPooka]

11. K & R nt