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.

[moose07]

Nice picture.
All Steam and Whistles for heading West, and an ol’ Diesel for pulling the Train back East again.
Someone has spent some cash on that bit of track.

[moose07]

Morning,

Cute Kittens.

The heat has backed off a bit today, back to a nice reassuring and familiar overcast.

[Tax-chick]

My forecast says 95 today, 97 tomorrow, 98 Sunday, with occasional thunderstorms. About what one expects this time of year, and very pleasant compared to Oklahoma.

[Monkey Face]

But see...? They LIKE ‘splody things!

[Monkey Face]

THAT is hilarious!! LOL! Muy estpido!

[Monkey Face]

Awww.... SQUEE!!

[Tax-chick]

Nothing as nice as tiny kittens.

[Monkey Face]

89 and it’s still dark out. Today’s forecast high is 111, and the monsoons are staying well to the east of us, so there is no relief from the humidity.

And I’m outta here for a bit!

[Monkey Face]

I walked into Walmart at 0440 and walked out at 0503, with everything on my list plus a box of hot cider mix! YAY ME!

No one was in there but the stalkers and two dense checkers. *sheesh*

[Covenantor]

[Covenantor]

R&D continues on non-prop night fighter hover models. Shown here at flight line loading fuel pellets while engine testing.

[Covenantor]

ahhh...miss Benny Hill

[Covenantor]

[null and void]

*mumble* *whimper*

[Tax-chick]

Kathleen would be right there with him.

[Covenantor]

LOL!

[Tax-chick]

Morning! I think Jake is a big Trump fan. He absolutely refuses to let us read the Wall Street Journal. If you even try to read about fashion or housing, there he is in the middle of it, with a Mao and some claw.

[PJ-Comix]

Planet Mini-Me.

[Tax-chick]

Good morning. Thank you for stopping by to celebrate my 50th birthday.

(These are not my kittens.)

[moose07]

Oh he’s cute.
The hover control system needs a little refining, but he’s a getting there!
*Hover Dogs, HoverCat never saw this one Coming.*