Posted on 07/12/2016 8:03:24 AM PDT by 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.
(Excerpt) Read more at space.com ...
The 13 months we lived in Olympia, when the kids were ‘tweens was when I discovered the arthritis that plagued my back was also in every other joint. It made driving very difficult, as it was so painful to turn the steering wheel.
It’s beautiful up there, and I did enjoy it, for the most part, but I won’t go back.
“If you throw a dart at a number line, your chance of hitting a rational number is zero,” says Pat. I’m not sure whether this reflects mathematical philosophy or poor hand-eye coordination.
Fact Finder: Kzin warrior scout undergoing extreme interrogation at Area 51
He looks very uncomfortable!
Most urgent bills are paid, getting ready to take the mob to church.
Today is the 4th anniversary of the demise of Ash, the best dog on earth.
How else does one prep a lion for a prostate exam?
It’s a guy thing. ;>)
I don’t think lions have a long enough lifespan to get prostate cancer.
insert Foghorn Leghorn quote here.
;>)
Ash will be waiting for you at the Rainbow Bridge. And she will be the best dog on earth forever.
I can’t believe it’s November already. Before I know it, it will be December and I’ll have to think about flying...twice. Ungh. I don’t really want to go, but I feel like it’s a necessary step in my “relationship” with my DiL. She who thinks she has to compete with me for my son...*sheesh*
Even though I pared my grocery list by almost half, today, I still came up short. And there were a lot of people in there, for it being 0430. The checker I had is one who is somewhat of an airhead. She crams the bags full of items and today, I finally had enough. There were four quarts of milk in one bag, so I took one out and put it into another one.
As I did so, I told her, “Ya know, I’m an old lady, and I can’t carry a lot of heavy stuff, so I would appreciate it if you wouldn’t put so much stuff into one bag, please.” I think it ticked her off, but I just don’t want to put up with trying to re-pack the items into more bags before I even get them into the truck. (Gray hair but no wrinkles...)
This morning, I had another meeting with Zeke, about HIS meeting with the mayor yesterday, and today, he has an appointment with the city attorney, whom he is on a first-name basis with. Chuck is SO impressed by the “wealthy, famous” people that Zeke knows...I told Chuck they all put their pants on one leg at a time, so there isn’t really any mystery in “famous” people.
Not to mention the fact that they have extremely active sex lives. (I know that because I watch the thinly disguised animal porn films that are presented as “nature at its finest,” on my local PBS station.)
Epic Fail Latino Lawn Service is here to disrupt my day; it is overcast out and my right leg is driving me to distraction; the storm glass is loaded with crystals and the barometer is dropping.
Every time I’ve gotten up to do something, I’ve done something else: I went into the kitchen to take my pills and ended up doing dishes and forgetting the pills; then into the bathroom to put magic stuff on my leg and gathered up the clothes that were dry, took them into the bedroom, folded them and put them away; then here to check my email and put things in files, and ended up working a crossword puzzle which took me over 20 minutes. I finally got the stuff put on my leg and remembered to take my pills.
I will go somewhere soon and get a libation.
Personally, I think toes in shorts is a bad idea.
There's a story around here about a woman in a Cadallac Escalade who was searching for on-street parking for over an hour. (I know, if you buy a Caddy, pay for parking, but I digress.) She finally found a spot where someone was getting ready to leave. Ignored all the honking as she waited patiently for the spot to empty, then pulled forward to back into the space in standard parallel-parking fashion.
At that point a little Fiat zipped into the space.
She got out screaming at the guy who owned the Fiat for stealing her spot. He just grinned and said, "Well, that's what you can do when you're small and fast."
In a huff she got into her car, slammed it into reverse, and proceeded to torn the Fiat into scrap metal. Now it was the Fiat owner's turn to start screaming. She just smiled and said, "That's what you can do when you're big and rich.
All that to say, you're big. Go ahead and back into your slot - even if it's already occupied.
Nobody on this earth is bad enough for me to wreck my car over. Especially since, if it was wrecked, I wouldn’t be able to buy another one.
So I just sit at the laptop and wait for them to start their car up, then I grab my keys and by the time they are ready to put the gear in Drive, I’m in my truck and backing into my spot. So what, if I have to wait for a day? Irritating, but not maddening.
Afternoon, all. Naptime was Fail. I may have to make coffee.
The TV is wonky again. I’m almost to the point of cancelling the TV. But then I would miss the weekend animal porn and natural catastrophes, and that wouldn’t be any fun at all. I’d also miss “New Tricks,” on Sunday at 0400.
While I’m waiting for “the next level of tech support” to come on the line, I’m being entertained by mortuary music. Ungh.
Now’s the time I wish I had that cheap wine. Or a really icy beer...
The attorney came this morning to collect his last payment, but I’m waiting for another visit from a local gal. She doesn’t come too often, so I’m always glad to see her.
And in other news, I got notice today that my rent has gone up and there will be another increase in January. *sigh* That $4 “pay increase” isn’t going to matter when the total increase in rent is $8... :o|
True, but a battery is a battery.
Maybe by January you’ll be planning the immediate details of your move!
My rent will be the same as will my income, because the rent is income-based. And it will be the end of February or middle of March before I hear from St George, because they said it would be “at least a year,” and I sent the application the 19th of February.
So I just have to deal with this for the duration.
Maybe you’ll get a pleasant surprise, although moving in January in your area would be cruddy.
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