New Dwarf Planet Discovered Far Beyond Pluto's Orbit

space.com ^ | 07/11/2016

[BenLurkin]

Pluto isn't quite as lonely as scientists had thought.

Astronomers have discovered another dwarf planet in the Kuiper Belt, the ring of icy objects beyond Neptune. But this newfound world, dubbed 2015 RR245, is much more distant than Pluto, orbiting the sun once every 700 Earth years, scientists said. (Pluto completes one lap around the sun every 248 Earth years.)

"The icy worlds beyond Neptune trace how the giant planets formed and then moved out from the sun," discovery team member Michele Bannister, of the University of Victoria in British Columbia, said in a statement. "They let us piece together the history of our solar system."

...

The exact size of 2015 RR245 is not yet known, but the researchers think it's about 435 miles (700 kilometers) wide. Pluto is the largest resident of the Kuiper Belt, with a diameter of 1,474 miles (2,371 km).

The research team first spotted 2015 RR245 in February of this year, while poring over images that the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope in Hawaii took in September 2015 as part of the ongoing Outer Solar System Origins Survey (OSSOS).

"There it was on the screen — this dot of light moving so slowly that it had to be at least twice as far as Neptune from the sun," Bannister said.

[NicknamedBob]

"I have never been in Mexico, but sometimes I have the urge to disappear there forever."

Didn't Ambrose Bierce actually do that?

[Tax-chick]

My brother lives in Warsaw, PA.

[Tax-chick]

Disappeared or like died or something, poor old guy.

[Tax-chick]

I was born in 1966. I started reading Lafferty in the early 1980s.

[NoCmpromiz]

No kudzu?

[NoCmpromiz]

A few places with interesting names that are ‘not where they should be’..

Bolivia, NC
Mexico, Missouri
Texas, Maryland
Warsaw, NC
Warsaw, PA
Peru, NY
Cuba, NY
Delaware, OH

And there is of course..
Hell, MI (population 266)

Of course I’m sure there are way more..

[NoCmpromiz]

Keeping three residences could get complicated!

Bernie didn't seem to think so..

[NoCmpromiz]

In other news, Arnold Palmer died..

[moose07]

Rest in Peace Mr Palmer.
“All Plus fours to half mast”

[moose07]

That could almost be part of a Chinese curse:
* May ........ interesting times, and always be followed by Kudzu.”

[Covenantor]

Jeff Dunham puppets explain why they don’t do jokes about Hillary Clinton.

http://youtu.be/A9jhD_W0p1o

Brief and very funny with some scary truth.

[Tax-chick]

[moose07]

A lot of truth there ,me thinks.
Poor Peanut....that was horrible. :)

[Covenantor]

Git 'er done!

[moose07]

Oh Wow !
You must have some massive Ducks in your area to require tape that size.

[Covenantor]

We’ll send you a few rolls to tape up the Chunnel.

[Tax-chick]

Looks good!

[Covenantor]

[moose07]

The Chunnel is comprised of three interconnected tunnels.
The best course of action would be to flood it, anything else can be removed from the other side.

The Chunnel is essential to carry the vast amount of passenger and freight traffic between here and the continent. When either the ferries or tunnel are out of action the other just can't cope. The traffic backs up to the other end of Kent in under 24hrs.

As the Chunnel is Private Property flooding is the best method. The owner won't be screwed out of their investment as usually happens over here in time of war.
Fill it to within 2 feet of the OHL and leave the power on......none shall pass.
:)

[moose07]

The mother ship is coming, I seez it !