Posted on 03/26/2014 10:15:21 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
Astronomers have nicknamed a new dwarf planet circling the sun at the outer edges of the solar system after Vice President Joe Biden.
According to Nature, a leading scientific journal, the object's official designation is 2012 VP113. But the team studying its orbit around the sun colloquially refer to the planet as just "VP" or "Biden," after the sitting vice president.
The object won't carry an official title until scientists collect more data. After determining its orbit, they'll submit a formal name to the International Astronomical Union (IAU) for consideration. The Biden dwarf is the second such object to be discovered in the area beyond Pluto. The object is 280 miles across, and an estimated minus 430 degrees.
Makes sense. It’s highly eccentric, slow, and incredibly dim.
related:
Far-Flung Space Crash May Help Solve Mystery of Moon’s Formation
National Geographic News | March 15, 2007 | Richard A. Lovett
Posted on 6/17/2007 12:45:48 AM by SunkenCiv
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