Astronomers Find a New "Minor Planet" near Neptune

Astronomers Find a New "Minor Planet" near Neptune

Astronomers announced today that a new "minor planet" with an unusual orbit has been found just two billion miles from Earth, closer than Neptune. Using the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, astronomers detected a small, comet-like object called 2006 SQ372, which is likely made of rock and ice. However, its orbit never brings it close enough to the sun for it to develop a tail. Its unusual orbit is an ellipse that is four times longer than it is wide, said University of Washington astronomer Andrew Becker, who led the discovery team. The only known object with a comparable orbit is Sedna — the distant, Pluto-like dwarf planet discovered in 2003. But 2006 SQ372's orbit takes it more than one-and-a-half times further from the Sun, and its orbital period is nearly twice as long.

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This is a pretty interesting discovery, I can't wait to hear more about it!

2006 SQ372 just rolls of the tongue! They seriously need a more interesting system for naming things. Maybe something like how we name hurricanes, heh.

Originally posted by OnionCloud
2006 SQ372 just rolls of the tongue! They seriously need a more interesting system for naming things. Maybe something like how we name hurricanes, heh.

I agree they give these objects such boring names.
Let's call it planet ATS.

Minor Planet = Plutoid!

Come on guys, "Small Planet" is soooo 2007.

wonder how long it will be before some one calls it nibiru?

[edit on 18-8-2008 by Neilc1972]

reply to post by round_eyed_dog
But could there be life on that comet. What I mean is like small organisums like they have on neptune. Neptune used to have small organisums in the water. I dont know if neptune still has the water. There was no way that any other creatures could live there because the water was so boling it was like lava! But if life could live in that kind of heat they would be the ultimate creatures ever discovered!


From: A fellow astronamer

Originally posted by Neilc1972
wonder how long it will be before some one calls it nibiru?

[edit on 18-8-2008 by Neilc1972]

HAHAH you just did,, :-p didnt take long.. :-D

one more line so the Mods dont smack me around.. :-]

Originally posted by Neilc1972
wonder how long it will be before some one calls it nibiru?

[edit on 18-8-2008 by Neilc1972]

Of course it's Nibiru!

Debunker: "But Nibiru is supposed to come close to Earth. This never even gets as close as Uranus."
Believer: "How do you know? Have you been to Nibiru? As it gets closer the magnetic field of the sun will cause to accelerate rapidly inward"

Debunker: "But Nibiru is supposed to have an orbital period of 3,600 years. This has an orbital period of 22,500 years."
Believer: "Don't you see? That is the same as the Mayan calendar! The Mayans knew all about it! It's going to be here in 2012 just like they predicted!"

Debunker: "But it's impossible for it to get here by 2012. It's just too far away."
Believer:"Oh sure, that's what they want you to believe. Can you grasp the scale of the panic if everyone really knew what was about to happen. Besides, science has been wrong before. Everyone used to think the world is flat! Science thinks it knows everything! It doesn't!!!!!!!! So there."

Oh...[/sarcasm]

[edit on 18-8-2008 by Phage]

Lets invade it, rape it for resources, and blue women...

I wonder how long it will be before they discover something huge out there. Our solar system gets more and more interesting everyday.

I know Yahoo news isn't the best source for news but according to their sources, this is not a mini-planet, it is a huge-comet.

A huge comet-like object has been spotted inside the orbit of Neptune. The object, at least 30 miles wide, is on the return leg of a 22,500-year journey around the sun, astronomers announced today

source

If anyone finds anything different from what I have posted then correct me.

Well, the original article itself says "small, comet-like object", so it seems they can't make up their own mind.

[edit on 18-8-2008 by OnionCloud]

Wouldn't it be kinda scary if the world did end in 2012.

The world was supposed to end in 2,000 that's why not many people are worried, but perhaps this so-called comet is similar to the meteor that hit earth like... ages ago to wipe out dinosaurs. Perhaps I'm wrong, but it is scary how there's so many theories about how the world is going to end in 2012.