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| Xena expected to be named 9th Planet in our Solar System |
| 2006-07-23 |
| ASTRONOMERS are expected to add at least one new planet to the nine in our solar system. The new body, provisionally named Xena, is 14 billion kilometres from the Sun - about 100 times more distant than the Earth and well beyond Pluto. Its diameter is 2399km, 113km greater than that of Pluto, the smallest and most distant planet, which may qualify Xena for planetary status. The decision will be taken at a meeting of the International Astronomical Union in Prague next month, when 2000 astronomers will be asked to vote on the expansion of the solar system. Xena is the largest of many similar bodies found recently in orbits beyond Pluto. Some astronomers argue that declaring them all planets would devalue the term. Others say a purist approach would mean stripping Pluto of its planetary status - which could be unpopular with the public. "We've been seeking a compromise solution," said Iwan Williams, professor of mathematics and astronomy at the University of London, who chairs a committee set up by the IAU to define a planet. Its report will be presented to the IAU next month. "We had to decide whether to stick to a purely scientific approach or consider other aspects such as culture and history," Dr Williams said. Some astronomers believe the term planet should be limited to the four rocky orbs Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars, and the four gas giants Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. Pluto was accepted as the ninth planet only because Clyde Tombaugh, who discovered it in 1930, misjudged its size, claiming it was larger than Earth. Its actual mass is 400 times less. By the time the mistake had been discovered, Pluto had entered the textbooks as the only planet to have been discovered by an American. Any attempt to question its status has been fiercely opposed by US scientists. Xena was discovered last year by Mike Brown, professor of planetary astronomy at Caltech University, California. He said more discoveries were likely as telescopes probe deeper in space. "This is a huge problem for astronomy," he said. "Scientifically speaking, I agree there are really only eight planets, but the word is as much a cultural as a scientific term." One definition of a planet to be put forward in Prague is anything in orbit around the Sun with a diameter of more than 2000km. |
| Posted by:Oztralian |
| #7 Xena, due to her frequent hot tub scenes with her female companion, has been labeled a lesbian by some. Will that do, Chereger? :) |
| Posted by: Glavith Ebbeque2897 2006-07-23 23:22 |
| #6 The only woman is Venus, who is just a silly girl of no consequence. Sort of, in Roman patheon that they adapted from Greeks. But for Greeks, it was Pallas Athena, a nasty bitch (in the oldest discernable traditions) with shield and spear (or thunderbolt sometimes). Except for Mediterannean area, Egypt and Middle East, it was a male deity. In Americas, it needed to be appeased by taking beating heart from sacrificial victims, whether it was called Quetzalcoatl, Cuculcan, or Viracocha. Anyway, planets are named after Roman pantheon, and any new discovery should follow the convention. |
| Posted by: twobyfour 2006-07-23 22:46 |
| #5 The planets are highly politically incorrect. The only woman is Venus, who is just a silly girl of no consequence. Not to mention, there are no gay planets yet, even though going by the 10% rule there would be at least one by now. Opponents of this are using fuzzy math. We need to balance the scale in one fell swoop by kicking out Pluto and adding Xena. /sarc |
| Posted by: Chereger Anginens2197 2006-07-23 21:08 |
| #4 9th planet? Am I missing something? Wouldn't it be the 10th? |
| Posted by: Iblis 2006-07-23 20:05 |
| #3 The astronomers are only doing this because they hope to meet Lucy Lawless. I'm surprised that half the newly discovered celestial bodies haven't been named after Star Trek babes. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2006-07-23 20:01 |
| #2 Think of it as an Heavenly Body. |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2006-07-23 19:36 |
| #1 Planets deserve at least a God not some idiotic warrior |
| Posted by: Clerert Uneamp2772 2006-07-23 19:34 |