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Planet X Discovered
[July 26th 2005]
Image above: These time-lapse images of
a newfound planet in our solar system,
called 2003UB313, were taken on Oct. 21,
2003, using the Samuel Oschin Telescope
at the Palomar Observatory near San Diego,
Calif. The planet, circled in white, is
seen moving across a field of stars. The
three images were taken about 90 minutes
apart.
The new planet, which is yet to be formally
named, is at least as big as Pluto and
about three times farther away from the
Sun than Pluto. It is very cold and dark.
The planet was discovered by the Samuel
Oschin Telescope at the Palomar Observatory
near San Diego, California, on Jan. 8,
2005.
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10th Planet is discovered in
the outlying regions of our solar system. The newly
discovered planet is not yet formally named, it is
given a
temporary name as 2003 UB 313. It was discovered by
Mr. Michael Brown at Palomar Observatory near San
Diego, California. Newly discovered 10th Planet is
larger than Pluto and nearly 9 Billion miles away
from sun.
Planet X is found in
the reqion known as Kuiper Belt. The Kuiper belt ("KYE
per") is an area of the solar system extending
from within the
orbit of Neptune (at 30 AU) to 50 AU from the sun,
at inclinations consistent with the ecliptic. Objects
within the Kuiper Belt are referred to
by the IAU as trans-Neptunian objects (a type of minor
planet). They are sometimes also called asteroids.
"This places the
new planet more or less in the Kuiper Belt, a dark
realm beyond Neptune where thousands of small icy
bodies orbit the sun. The planet appears to be typical
of Kuiper Belt objects--only much bigger. Its sheer
size in relation to the nine known planets means that
it can only be classified as a planet itself"
Mr. Michael Brown said.
"Backyard astronomers
with large telescopes can see the new planet. But
don't expect to be impressed: It looks like a dim
speck of light,
visual magnitude 19, moving very slowly against the
starry background. It is currently almost directly
overhead in the early-morning eastern sky in the constellation
Cetus," Said Brown.
In addition to Mr. Michael
Brown, Chad Trujillo, of the Gemini Observatory in
Mauna Kea, Hawaii, and David Rabinowitz, of Yale University,
New Haven, Connecticut were also discovered this 10th
Planet. Planet was first photographed on October 31st
2003, with the 48-inch Samuel Oschin Telescope. As
the object was too distant to conclude anything, its
only after analysis and reanalysis of the data in
januay this year Mr. Brown and team could conclude
this as 10th planet in our solar system. Last 7 months
scientists were trying to estimate the objects size
and its motion.
"Even if it reflected
100 percent of the light reaching it, it would still
be as big as Pluto, Pluto is 1400 miles (2300 km)
wide. "I'd say it's probably [about] one and
a half times the size of Pluto, but we're not sure."
says Brown.
"We are 100 percent
confident that this is the first object bigger than
Pluto ever found in the outer solar system,"
Brown adds.
"It will be visible
with a telescope over the next six months and is currently
almost directly overhead in the early-morning eastern
sky, in
the constellation Cetus," said Brown
Telescopes have not
yet revealed the planet's disk. To estimate how big
it is, the astronomers must rely on measurements of
the planet's brightness. Like all planets, this new
one presumably shines by reflecting sunlight. The
bigger the planet, generally speaking, the bigger
the reflection. The reflectance, the fraction of light
that bounces off the planet, is not yet known. Nevertheless,
it is possible to set limits on the planet's diameter.
The size of the planet
is further limited by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope,
which has already proved its mettle in studying the
heat of dim, faint, faraway objects such as the Kuiper-belt
bodies. Because Spitzer has been unable to detect
the new planet, the overall diameter must be less
than about 2000 miles (3200 km), says Brown.
Temporary Name for the
planet is given as 2003 UB313. Discoverers has proposed
permanent name for the newly discovered planet to
International Astronomical
Union. Permanent name will be declared only after
the approval and confirmation of International Astronomical
Union.
Our solar system
Mercury Diameter: 4,880
km, Mean distance from sun approx. 58 million km.
Venus 12,140 km, 108 million km.
Earth 12,756 km, 150 million km.
Mars 6,787 km, 228 million km.
Jupiter 142,800 km, 778 million km.
Saturn 120,660 km, 1,.4 billion km.
Uranus 51,118 km, 2,9 billion km.
Neptune 49,528 km, 4.5 billion km.
Pluto 2,300 km, 5.9 billion km.
10th Planet - 2003 UB313 Estimated (3450 KM, 9 Billion
Miles)
Source :
Nasa Press Release
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