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]

Still, not taking any chances, it is still Tuesday.

New word: Expatiate
I like Jeeves and Wooster. :)

[Darksheare]

Felt like I was going to end up laying on the ground.
Did the hourly math, it came out to 22.5 hours.
HOPEFULLY the office pays me for it like good little drones.

[Darksheare]

Trip switch?

[Tax-chick]

James just dropped a large dollop of eggplant dip on the floor. I told him he wouldn’t like it ...

Tom the Son is home.

[Monkey Face]

James sounds like Lablady: She would never take my word for it, but had to find out for herself. Ungh.

Welcome home, Tom!

I need to go lie down. My bones hurt. ‘Tis monsoon season, dontachaknow.

[Tax-chick]

I was lying down, but James, Vlad, and Frank were loud. They annoyed Shannon.

The bank just called with a fraud warning because DP is using his ATM card on the Outer Banks. I sent him a text.

[Covenantor]

That video seems appropriate for your state after the loooong * day you had.

;>)

a short R&R is better than no R&R....rest up.

[Covenantor]

No kittie, a pup that learns very quickly, “ Hey! Hey! you all are NOT leaving without me!”

A cat or kitteh would have ripped through the screen at warp speed and bloodied heads.

[Covenantor]

The Bundy Carry-All.

[ArGee]

If I were you I’d buy a lottery ticket.

That kinda luck is bound to change.

[moose07]

One King size Hiccie coming up !

[Monkey Face]

The peeps have been telling me for the last week to drive to the Stateline for a lottery ticket, but I’m not about to waste the gas and then stand in line for five hours in this heat, thanks.

Tomorrow will be a better day. I just know it will!

[null and void]

The phrase of art is “Invited to explore career opportunities elsewhere”...

[null and void]

I don’t get paid overtime. *sigh*

[Covenantor]

[moose07]

LOL+
Yes!
And why is the dang thing always in badly translated Japanese?

[Tax-chick]

“Asian Elephant Care for Dummies”?

[Tax-chick]

Maybe he’s reading the elephant a story (about elephants, of course).

[Monkey Face]

HEY! You got 333! It was my employee number at Signetics and the number of my ID card in the VFW Women’s Auxiliary that same year! Nice number, that!

[Monkey Face]

So, g’night, chilrun! See you tomorrow!