Is there a 10th planet in our solar system?
From yesterday’s Globe & Mail (free registration required) … the possible tenth planet 2003 UB313 (informally named Xena right now) was thought to be larger than cold and dark Pluto, but now appears to be smaller.
Now while it might be exciting to have a 10th planet, this has also started a debate on what makes a planet. Is Xena a planet (in addition to being a Warrior Princess 
)? Is Pluto really a planet? This isn’t whether or not they exist, its just a classification thing.
A nonluminous celestial body larger than an asteroid or comet, illuminated by light from a star, such as the Sun, around which it revolves. In the solar system there are nine known planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto.’
But don’t stop there … there is a whole Wikipedia page just on the definition of planets!
So … is this a big deal in your day-to-day life? Not really, but it sure is a fun topic for cocktail parties … "Hey did you hear that Xena is smaller than Pluto …" Huh? You know Xena the informal name for the potential 10th planet … "
Think of how smart you’ll sound!
Tags: Astronomy, Xena, Pluto, 2003 UB313
3 Comments
I think you may have read the article. The latest findings are that 2003 UB313 is larger than Pluto, but just barely. (See http://www.gps.caltech.edu/~mbrown/planetlila/ for details)
True, but the margin of error could also make it marginally smaller too. At that distance … who can know for sure.
True. Maybe they should classify This new considered “planet” as it should be. If astronomers believe that Xena is larger than Pluto then Pluto should be considered A moon……and Xena a planet.