10th Planet 2003 UB313, Has a Moon

Astronomers explored Moon orbiting recently discovered 10th Planet 2003 UB 313

Astronomers at Keck Observatory, Hawaii revealed a Moon orbiting around recently discovered 10th Planet 2003 UB313. With Advance Technique and new instrument of Adaptive Optics Astronomers able to resolve the blur lights from XENA to discover the moon, very little is known about the object as discovery is recent.

The 10th Planet 2003 UB313 also called as XENA is almost 9 Billion miles away from earth, light from XENA is blurred as it reaches through earth atmosphere and hit the grounds. Due to this reason Telescope observations made until now for XENA could never distinguish light from the newly discovered moon. Earlier in such situations a Technique called Adaptive optics was used to get the precise details of the object from its blurred image. Adaptive Optics is a very useful technique for objects with good or best brightness. XENA being too far light is not bright enough for Adaptive Optics to resolve. Astronomers and team of engineers at keck observatory use laser beams attached with telescopes to create a hypothetical star next to the object to observe, using this technique images of the 10th Planet revealed a moon revolving in orbit around it. In Earlier days Hubble telescope was used for such observations, but now Adaptive optics along with laser beams can allow astronomers to study objects in detail precision from earth.

In the Image above we see 10th Planet 2003 UB313, a bright spot next to it and also a weak streak of light at the bottom of the image. Bright spot next to XENA moves along with it as we track the object across the sky, so it is fixed with object as we move. Faint streak of light at the bottom of the image gets weaker as tracking proceeds this is because it’s a background star and not associated with the 10th planet. Unlike the weak light streak bright spot maintains its light intensity. Now this Bright spot is a artifact of the Adoptive optics with the laser beams, such artifacts always move in arc to the astronomical object under observation. But the bright star remains in fix position and doesn't move in arc concluding this can be moon of the 10th planet.

Discovery of the moon revolving around 2003 UB313 will help finding more facts about the newly discovered 10th Planet. As of now Astronomers are only aware that 10th Planet is about one and half the size of Pluto. What we don't know is If it is more massive then Pluto, what it is compose of. Pluto is made up of ice and rocks, if the 10th planet is all ice then it well might be lighter then Pluto. Now with discovery of moon astronomers and astrophysicists can conclude mass of the 10th planet once they know how far the moon from the planet is and how much time it takes to complete the orbit around the planet. If the mass of the planet is huge revolutions will be faster and if the mass is less moon will revolve in quite lazy orbits.

Also 3 objects (2003 NY61, 2003 UB313, and Pluto) out of 4 largest objects from Kupier belt are having moons suggesting some common event in the past. Some Astronomers and physicists are concluding similar events as of the events responsible for earth and its moon. Also having moon of its own makes the new planet a proper planet for most of us.

Planet 2003 UB313 is still called by its Code Name Xena as committee is yet to finalize on the name. Similarly the newly discovered moon has a name S/2005 (2003 UB313) 1, with a code name Gabrielle. Other Object 2003 NY61 in Kupier belt is called by the code name SANTA with its moon having code name Rudolph.

Currently Astronomers at Keck Observatory have no direct evidence for concluding the composition of moon. Earlier research and observations on Kupier belt objects revealed compositions of 2003 EL61's moon, it is pure frozen water. Such observations about the moon can be made because astronomers been able to study the spectra of infrared region of the light reflected from the object. From the observations of the moon of the new 10th Planet, appearance looks similar to that of 2003 EL61 code name Santa. So Astronomers can guess that Gabrielle might be similar, also. Further studies of the moon cannot be conducted until next year as researchers working the subject would get dedicated time on the Keck telescope only sometime next year.

Currently there are no scientific measurements for the diameter of the moon, but astronomers are guessing based on the reflected light from the moon. Moon is 60 times fainter then the 10th planet and hence can be guessed comfortably that it is perhaps 8 times smaller in diameter then the planet.