Location of "10th planet". Minor Planet 2003 UB313

[Dennis]

Hi

Here are some details from SkyTools:

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2003 UB313
Minor Planet
RA: 01h39m22.1s, Dec: -05°19'45" (2000) in Cetus
Galactic lon: +152°42', Galactic lat: -65°24'
Magnitude: 18.87

Orbit Data:
Orbit Period: 557.2 years
Perihelion Distance: 37.8 AU
Aphelion Distance: 97.6 AU
Orbital elements from supplemental database, epoch 2005.6.

Current Status:
Earth Distance: 96.6 AU
Sun Distance: 96.9 AU
Elongation: 107°

Millennium Star Atlas Vol I Chart 290
Sky Atlas 2000 Chart 10
Uranometria 2000 Vol I&II Chart 218
Uranometria 2nd Ed. Chart 120
Herald-Bobroff Astroatlas B-04 C-56

Apparent Data for 2005 Aug 1 GMT+10 at Brisbane, Australia:
Apparent RA: 01h39m39.1s, Apparent Dec: -05°17'55"
Ecliptical lon: +21°00', Ecliptical lat: -14°34'
Azimuth: +044°22', Altitude: +60°43'
Zenith Distance: +29°17'
Local Sidereal Time: 00h05m
Hour Angle: -01h20m
Airmass: 1.1
Mean Extincted magnitude: 19.0

Object hailed as "10th planet"

Apparently this Trans Neptunian Object is larger than Pluto
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SkyTools is an "Observing List" centric observation planning tool and can be found at http://www.skyhound.com/skytools.html

The attached chart is an example of the charting feature in SkyTools and I have copied and pasted the "Information Panel" which is a separate function.

Cheers

Dennis

[[1ponders]]

Great stuff Dennis. This is really going to set the cat among the pidgeons. Is it or isn't it. If they (whoever they are :P ) decide it isn't a planet then maybe Pluto won't be considered a planet anymore, and we're back to 8. I'm really looking forward to the "discussions" that are going to come out of the scientific community. If they decide that, "yes it is a planet" then won't that add more weight to making Sedna and Quoaor planets as well? Or maybe "they"'ll have to invent a new catagory of planetessimal to take into pluto et al.

Exciting times

[slice of heaven]

I searched this topic yesterday and the following link gives the best answer.
Basically it states common sense prevails.

http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/text/pluto_iau_pr_19990203.txt


My opinion......If I cant find it in my scope its not a planet ;)

[cahullian]

UB313 not exactly the most exciting name I have ever heard. Seeing it's the third largest object in the Kuiper belt means we could end up with a host of planets.
I hope they call it "Pele" after the greatest human on the face of this planet.
Gazz