|
|
|
|
|
'Xena' gets official name BY KULVINDER SINGH CHADHA ASTRONOMY NOW Posted: September 14, 2006 Nearly two years after it was first discovered, 2003 UB313 (aka Xena, after the fantasy TV heroine) has finally been graced with an official name. Eris, the Greek goddess of discord, was chosen as the name of the Pluto-like object, which lies in the Kuiper Belt beyond Neptune. This is an apt moniker, considering all the trouble this tiny world has caused astronomers, forcing them to look again at Pluto. This is because at 2400 km in diameter, Eris is just slightly larger than Pluto. The naming of Eris does not mean however, that it is classed as a major planet of the Solar System, especially after the demotion of Pluto (bringing the total number of planets in our Solar System down to eight). It is instead classed as a dwarf planet, or, a Trans-Neptunian Object. Eris does have a moon however, named Dysnomia, after the daughter of Eris. |
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
The Hubble Space Telescope has become astronomy's crown jewel for knowledge and discovery. The great observatory was placed high above Earth following its launch aboard space shuttle Discovery on April 24, 1990. The astronauts of STS-31 recount their mission in this post-flight film presentation.