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Discovery of a new planet in the outer solar system
August 02, 2005New Haven, Conn. - A team of researchers from the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, CA, Yale University in New Haven, CT, and Gemini Observatory in Hilo, HI, report the discovery of a new planet in the outer solar system. Officially designated 2003 UB313, the new planet is intrinsically brighter than Pluto and three times farther away. Assuming the reflectivity of the surface is the same as Pluto's, it is the largest object detected in the solar system since the discovery of Neptune and its moon Triton in 1846.
The discovery team consists of Michael Brown at Caltech, David Rabinowitz at Yale, and Chad Trujillo at the Gemini Observatory. This is the same team that a year ago announced their discovery of Sedna, a smaller body also at the distant edges of our solar system. The team has since discovered several other Pluto-scale bodies including 2005 FY9 and 2003 EL61, both objects in the outer solar system comparable in size to Pluto but smaller. 2003 EL61 was independently discovered by Spanish astronomers and reported today.
2003 UB313 is currently about 100 times farther from the Sun than the Earth. The orbital period is close to 560 years. In 280 years, it will be at its closest point, 38 times farther from the Sun than the Earth. The discovery team is currently using the Keck and Gemini Telescopes in Hawaii, NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope, and smaller telescopes in Chile to measure the color, reflectivity, composition, rotation rate, and other properties of 2003 UB313. The observations from Chile already reveal a neutral, grey color typical of large icy bodies in the outer solar system. Observations of the reflected light at infrared wavelengths made with the Gemini telescope reveal the presence of frozen water, methane, and other gasses prevalent in the atmospheres of the outer planets.
The Palomar camera, which has over 160 million pixels and 112 CCD detectors, was built for the 48\\\
Yale University
Solar System Current Events and Solar System News RSSA bubbling ball of gas
The Sun is a bubbling mass. Packages of gas rise and sink, lending the sun its grainy surface structure, its granulation. Dark spots appear and disappear, clouds of matter dart up - and behind the whole thing are the magnetic fields, the engines of it all.
UT Knoxville and ORNL researchers turn algae into high-temperature hydrogen source
In the quest to make hydrogen as a clean alternative fuel source, researchers have been stymied about how to create usable hydrogen that is clean and sustainable without relying on an intensive, high-energy process that outweighs the benefits of not using petroleum to power vehicles.
Follow Rosetta's final Earth boost
ESA's comet chaser Rosetta will swing by Earth for the last time on 13 November to pick up energy and begin the final leg of its 10-year journey to comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. ESA's European Space Operations Centre will host a media briefing on that day.
'Ultra-primitive' particles found in comet dust
Dust samples collected by high-flying aircraft in the upper atmosphere have yielded an unexpectedly rich trove of relicts from the ancient cosmos, report scientists from the Carnegie Institution.
A special issue on the International Workshop of the 2008 Solar Total Eclipse
On August 1, 2008 a total solar eclipse was visible within a narrow corridor that traversed from North America to China.
Physicist makes new high-res panorama of Milky Way
Cobbling together 3000 individual photographs, a physicist has made a new high-resolution panoramic image of the full night sky, with the Milky Way galaxy as its centerpiece.
A Long Night Falls Over Saturn's Rings
As Saturn's rings orbit the planet, a section is typically in the planet's shadow, experiencing a brief night lasting from 6 to 14 hours. However, once approximately every 15 years, night falls over the entire visible ring system for about four days.
Satellite reveals surprising cosmic 'weather' at edge of solar system
The first solar system energetic particle maps show an unexpected landmark occurring at the outer edge of the solar wind bubble surrounding the solar system.
Meteorite from September 25 fireball event recovered and presented
When Tony Garchinski heard a loud crash just after 9 p.m. on Friday, September 25 he didn't think much of it. That is, until he awoke the next morning to find the windshield of his mom's Nissan Pathfinder with a huge crack in it. Making note of the 'unusual' rocks he later found on the car's hood, Garchinski chalked the incident up to vandalism and filed a police report.
IBEX satellite finds ribbon-like structure at edge of heliosphere
The invisible structures of space are becoming less so, as scientists look out to the far edges of the solar wind bubble that separates our solar system from the interstellar cloud through which it flies.
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3-D Solar System by University Games This kit is astronomical! A glow-in-the-dark solar system is a fun way to experience the wonders of astronomy. Hang the planets from your ceiling and re-create the captivating cosmos right in your bedroom. Includes all 9 planets plus 25 feet of string, 200 glow-in-the-dark adhesive stars and a planetary guide booklet. |
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There's No Place Like Space: All About Our Solar System (Cat in the Hat's Learning Library) by Tish Rabe (Author), Aristides Ruiz (Illustrator) Au revoir, Pluto! In this newly revised, bestselling backlist title, beginning readers and budding astronomers are launched on a wild trip to visit the now eight planets in our solar system (per the International Astronomical Union’s 2006 decision to downgrade Pluto from a planet to a dwarf planet), along with the Cat in the Hat, Thing One, Thing Two, Dick, and Sally. It’s a reading adventure that’s out of this world! |
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3D solar system kit by Toysmith Learn about the nine planets as you build your very own 29.5-inch hanging mobile of the Solar System! Snap together planets and then color them with the included paints -- including two that glow-in-the-dark! An educational poster provides facts about each of the nine worlds. Availability:: Usually ships within one business day. |
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Our Solar System (revised edition) by Seymour Simon (Author) Born almost 5 billion years ago at the edge of the Milky Way galaxy, our Solar System is a place filled with mystery and wonder. In the last fifty years, we have learned more than ever about the farthest reaches of our world. With dramatic full-color photographs and spacecraft images, Our Solar System takes young readers on a fascinating tour of the sun, the eight planets, and their moons, plus asteroids, comets, and meteoroids. Award-winning science writer Seymour Simon has teamed up with the Smithsonian Institution on this new, updated edition of his much admired book about the vast and mystifying part of the universe that we live in. |
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Toysmith 4 M Solar System Planetarium # 3427 by Toy Smith Build your own glow-in-the-dark planetarium with this creative kit. Contains model with stand, brush, paint strip, instructions and more. Assembled model has a 11 3/4 inch span. |
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Uncle Milton Solar System In My Room by Uncle Milton An Orbiting Solar System right in your room! Now you can explore the wonders of the solar system right in your own room! Just look up at your ceiling and watch as all nine planets orbit around the light-up sun. Listen as the audio CD takes you on a fascinating tour of our solar system. Use the included light-pointer to locate each planet and make comets and meteors streak through the night sky. Ages 6 and up with Adult assistance recommended. |
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The Planets in Our Solar System (Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science, Stage 2) by Franklyn M. Branley (Author), Kevin O'malley (Illustrator) You live on Earth, so you already know a lot about it. But do you know about its place in out solar system? For instance, it's not the largest planet. If Jupiter were a hallow ball, 1,000 Earths would fit inside it. And did you know our planet Earth takes 365 days to go around the sun, while the planet Pluto takes 248 years? This simple text by Franklyn M. Branely introduces the nine planets in our solar system and is complemented by Kevin O'Malley's full-color illustrations, which incorporate some of the newest space photographs available. How hot is it on Venus? Which planet takes longest to orbit the sun? Find out the answers in this updated version of this popular text. Kevin OMalleys often humorous illustrations depict a group of children and an astronomer as they learn all about... |
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Melissa & Doug Solar System 48pc Floor by Melissa and Doug Melissa & Doug Solar System Floor Puzzle (48pc) Jigsaw puzzles stimulate eye movement, hand/eye coordination, and matching skills, which help prepare children for reading. The Melissa & Doug Solar System Floor Puzzle provides out-of-this-world learning for your little one. Measuring at 24" x 36", the jumbo puzzle is great for little hands and growing minds. Our entire solar system is colorfully portrayed, and each planet is labeled for your child to identify. The puzzle is made of extra-thick cardboard and built to last! Order the Melissa & Doug Solar System Floor Puzzle (48pc) today! |
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Our Solar System College Poster Print, 36x24 by AllPosters.com AllPosters.com is the world's #1 seller of posters, prints, photographs, specialty products and framed art. We're dedicated to bringing our customers the best selection of high quality wall décor that is perfect for their home or office. Browse our catalog of over 300,000 items that include entertainment and specialty posters, decorative prints, and art reproductions. Whether you're looking for your favorite movie or music poster, a framed Monet reproduction, or a print of the Eiffel Tower you will find it at AllPosters.com. Visit our Amazon store today at www.amazon.com/allposters to find Special Offers and search by subject category or artist. AllPosters.com provides unmatched service with a 100% satisfaction guarantee. We ship internationally to over 80 countries. Decorate your... |
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The Complete Book of Our Solar System (Complete Book Series) by School Specialty Publishing (Author) |
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