Renaming the New "Dwarf Planet, Xena, (UB313)--Eris  (9/11/2006)

     The International Astronomical Union ( IAU) renamed the newly-discovered "dwarf planet" originally 
nicknamed Xena. The new official name for this planet is Eris--the warrior princess. The IAU considers
this choice to be extremely clever since the discovery of Eris last year prompted a debate about 
Pluto's status which led to its demotion by IAU from a planet to "dwarf planet". The satellite (moon) of 
Eris has received the official name Dysnomia, who in Greek mythology is Eris' daughter and the demon 
spirit of lawlessness. Click the following link for further information.    
http://www.gps.caltech.edu/~mbrown/planetlila/#eris

 Is Pluto a planet?  9/2006

     There is a major controversy going on that Pluto may be downgraded to an asteroid, black whole, 
or a Trans-Neptunian Object, etc. Pluto was demoted to dwarf planet status by the International 
Astronomical Union. Pluto backers are already  petitioning for its reinstatement.

     Pluto has been known as the ninth planet of our solar system since it was discovered by Clyde 
Tombaugh at the Lowell Observatory in 1930. Does this mean that Pluto has been demoted? The answer 
is no. Pluto will have dual classification as a planet and a TNO, at least for the time being.

     Go to:   http://curious.astro.cornell.edu/question.php?number=624  for further information on this
topic.                    

 #10 PLANET DISCOVERED IN OUR SOLAR SYSTEM  5/2005

       At 11:20 a.m. PST at Pasadena, California on January 5, 2005, Dr. Michael E. Brown spotted a dot
moving along across the Kuiper Belt. He knew that he had discovered a planet. It was located beyond
and larger than Pluto. The proposed name of the  new planet is Xinghua after the Chinese news agency.
Planet 10,is known as UB313.
    
      The new planet is located now in the constellation of Cetus the Whale-near Taurus in the Zodiac. "
Xena" was last there in 1445 A.D.

     The planet's discovery raises the issue as to what defines or constitutes a "planet". "When does 
something stop being a planet and start being just a rock" said Jonathan McDowell, an astrophysicist
at the Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.

     UB313 takes about 560 years to transit around the Sun. Juan Revilla has calculated an ephemeris for
this new planetary discovery, UB313. Planet X 10-year Ephemeris follows:

          1900     21° Pisces
          1910     24° Pisces
          1920     28° Pisces
          1930      0° Aries
          1940      3° Aries
          1950      6° Aries
          1960      8° Aries
          1970    11° Aries
          1980    13° Aries
          1990    16° Aries
          2000    18° Aries
          2005    19° Aries
          2010    21° Aries

For more information concerning "2003 UB313" click the link below.
http://dir.yahoo.com/Science/Astronomy/Solar_System/Planets/2003_UB313/

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