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.

[Tax-chick]

Oh, dear. Do you have a lemon?

[Tax-chick]

I bought that when it first came out. Later, Anoreth had a CD. She did illustrations: her House of Usher was particularly atmospheric.

[ArGee]

I never bought a CD but I played the vinyl through my Smaller Advent Speakers on my Acoustic Research turntable.

I bought it for "The Raven" which I wish had included more of the poem. I really liked the track, short as it was.

[moose07]

If you think Squeezing Cows is bad enough,
I guess you’re not familiar with baby oil, then?
:)

[ArGee]

You should put a scan of her Usher on photobucket or something and share it with us.

[JoeProBono]

[ArGee]

OH NOES!!!!!

Does Hillary know about this??!!!

[Tax-chick]

“The Cast of Amontillado” was my favorite. We probably still have the CD somewhere; another teenager might like it, if it were found (and playable).

[ArGee]

Nice segue there, JPB.

[Tax-chick]

We don’t have them anymore. I think I send them to a friend after Anoreth left home. I have her “Beowulf and the Dragon” and “Ragnarok” up in my closet.

[moose07]

Bottled lemon juice. Perfect idea. :)

[Tax-chick]

Cute shot!

[ArGee]

Your autowrecked got you.

Amontillado wasn’t a play. It was an adult beverage.

[Tax-chick]

Thank you. I’m used to making do after discovering we’re out of something I was sure I had enough of.

[ArGee]

Maybe instead of getting clubbed at a club some night she can do the Flying Castle. Then we can display it every time we move.

[Tax-chick]

I think I did that: just distracted. I cut my fingernails recently, so I can’t blame them for my typso.

[moose07]

The Alamo?

[Tax-chick]

Good idea. I’ll suggest it.

[ArGee]

Or Darks. Haven’t heard from Darksheare in a while.

[Tax-chick]

Probably overworked still.