A 10-th planet has been found orbiting our sun.

Astronomers have confirmed that we have a tenth planet orbiting the Sun which is larger than Pluto. Estimated to be 3000 km in diameter compared to Pluto which is a mere 2274 km.

It is about 14.55 Tm from the Sun, with an orbital plane 44 deg to the ecliptic.

The UK BBC web site isn't too bad for metric data on this:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4730061.stm

re (Our solar system is metric): "...with an orbital plane 44 deg to the ecliptic..."

REPLY: Is 44 degrees metric?

No it's not, but that would be beyond the resident Terrorism Expert.

It's 'radions' or somthing, isn't it?

Hey, tell you what, seeing as it's the 10th planet lets name it in honour of the metric system - we could call it "metron" or something - that'd be cool. Oh God, I wish I had friends!

As I suggested yesterday on the USMA site. Just want you all to know that so that I get credit for the name.

May I say that I fully support the idea of the metric zealots of naming the 10th planet after the metric system.

There could surely be no better name for it than 'Decimus', short for Decimus Clodius Albinius. Since the other planets are mostly named after Greek or Roman gods or goddesses - Venus, Jupiter etc., a Roman Emperor fits nicely. The Roman Emperors thought of themselves as gods, after all.


I found this entry about him on the net:

"Governor of Britain at the death of the Emperor Pertinax, Decimus Clodius Albinus attempted to seize the throne but ended up as Caesar in alliance with another imperial contender, Septimius Severus. After Severus defeated two other rivals, the now expendable Albinus was forced into another attempt at usurpation, an attempt that came to an end at the bloody battle of Lyon".

What I like about this is just how appropriate Decimus would be as a metaphor for the metric system. He spent most of his life trying to get his ambitions realised by force and then, er, came to a sticky end!

What happened to old Stimpy above then. Did he say something naughty?

Tut tut Steve.

No I didn't!

I'm not sure why my posts are getting deleted and censored by BWMA.

No explanation, no email, nothing.

So if you're watching Berenger - I'm in the unlikely position of being on the pro-choice-lean-toward-imperial side person who's starting to waste his time posting here.

<<May I say that I fully support the idea of the metric zealots of naming the 10th planet after the metric system.>>

Hmm

Some how I don't think Sir Patrick Moore would be terribly keen.

I like him (Sir P.M.).

His sense of humour is very dark.

re (Stimpy) "I like him (Sir P.M.). His sense of humour is very dark".


REPLY: A bit like, er, 'The Sky at Night'!

Indeed!

A double meaning!

However the sky at night is not "dark" is simply lacks "light"

erm.....

Not to spoil anyone's fun, but it isn't really a planet. It is really a "Kuiper Belt Planet". There have been found SEVERAL "tenth" planets since Pluto was discovered. In fact, it is fair to say that Pluto is not really a planeet, either, but a Kuiper belt planet. Anyway...

re (Bryan Parry): "Not to spoil anyone's fun, but it isn't really a planet..."

REPLY: It's becoming more and more obvious how appropriate it will be to give this so-called 'planet' a metric name.

It's not all it's cracked up to be!

<<< It's not all it's cracked up to be! >>>

That will be why most of the world uses imperial, and those countries that do use metric are gradually imperialising...

That old line is hardly evidence for anything, Andy. Cheers.

<<Not to spoil anyone's fun, but it isn't really a planet. It is really a "Kuiper Belt Planet". There have been found SEVERAL "tenth" planets since Pluto was discovered. In fact, it is fair to say that Pluto is not really a planeet, either, but a Kuiper belt planet. Anyway...>>

True enough, there are dozens of "tenth planet wannabees" although this one is bigger than Pluto. The others are all smaller ( or may be, there is a lot of uncertainty in the sizes).

I think the discoverers acknowledge the debate about Pluto's status, but argue IF Pluto is a planet, this is too. We'll see what the IAU says. The discoverers also get to submit a name proposal, and have, but aren't revealing it until the IAU (hope I have the right group) rules.

Fo' sho'. But Pluto's orbit is highly eccentric- for long periods it is closer to the sun than neptune... and I think I'm right in saying these kind of bizarre orbit patterns seem characteristic of these kuiper belt objects.

I still say 'Decimus' for the reasons I gave earlier. I think it fits all the criteria discussed below, and it *appears* to celebrate the metric system - but of course Decimus came to a sticky end LOL:

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

NEWS REPORT TODAY

Out of this world: magazine launches name-the-planet initiative

[Click to enlarge photo]

PARIS (AFP) - Should it be named after a Greek or Roman god? A great scientist or artist? How about calling it after a character in the "Star Wars" film series? Or your best friend?

The British magazine New Scientist has called on readers to help suggest a name for the solar system's 10th planet, whose discovery was announced last week by a team led by US astronomer Mike Brown of the California Institute of Technology.

The new world has been given the provisional designation of 2003 UB313.

But Brown has 10 years in which to think of a catchier name and have it approved by a panel of the International Astronomical Union (IAU).

Brown, a fan of TV's Warrior Princess, has given the informal name of Xena to 2003 UB313, a frozen orb some 15 billion kilometres (nine billion miles) from Earth, New Scientist said on its website (www.newscientistspace.com) on Tuesday.

"But that was our tongue-in-cheek internal name, never intended for public consumption," Brown told the magazine.

Under the IAU's nomenclature guidelines, names should be pronounceable, non-offensive, 16 characters or less in length and preferably one word.

Names should not be too similar to an existing name of a minor planet or natural planetary satellite.

In addition, names for persons or events known primarily for their military or political activities are acceptable only after 100 years have elapsed since the person died or the event occurred.

Commercial names are not allowed, and the names of pet animals are discouraged

"REPLY: It's becoming more and more obvious how appropriate it will be to give this so-called 'planet' a metric name.

It's not all it's cracked up to be!"


Sounds like someone has been chewing on some real sour grapes. For something that isn't all it is cracked up to be it has taken over the whole world. The world has chosen metric over imperial meaning metric is, was and always will be the better choice. Get use to it!

http://www.gps.caltech.edu/~mbrown/planetlila/

http://www.newscientistspace.com/article/dn7751

Both New Scientist and Cal Tech use only metric on their websites. Not bad for a system that isn't all it is cracked up to be. Then again, who wants to be cracked up like Tony?

<<Not to spoil anyone's fun, but it isn't really a planet. It is really a "Kuiper Belt Planet". There have been found SEVERAL "tenth" planets since Pluto was discovered. In fact, it is fair to say that Pluto is not really a planeet, either, but a Kuiper belt planet. Anyway...>>

There has been some disquiet about this for a while now. Pluto has been demoted in the eyes of some.

The literal meaning of the word planet is 'wandering star' a phrase coined by people in ancient times well before the invention of the telescope.

On that definition Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn are the only ones that qualify. They being easily visible to the unaided eye and so called because the observers could only see them as bright stars that wandered for reasons not well understood at the time.

Nowadays, with intruments of unimaginable power, both on the ground and in orbit, and the results of unmanned space probes we know the Solar system to have an enormous population of bodies that would wander in this manner, albeit very slowly in some cases. The stars themselves even do so.

Scientists don't have an answer to this planet or not a planet business and frankly no longer concern themselves with it.

I nevertheless thinks its a fascinating discovery and await with interest to hear more about it and whether it has any satellites.

Cheers to the so far unromantically named 2003 UIB 313.

<<re (Stimpy) "I like him (Sir P.M.). His sense of humour is very dark".

REPLY: A bit like, er, 'The Sky at Night'!>>

Sir P. M. would say to that - if only the Sky at Night *was* dark! At least here in the UK.

He has long been campaigning (for want of a better word) for the adoption of an alternate type of flourescent street lamp that (unlike the yellow ones we normally see) don't waste so much energy projecting a glow in the sky above towns and cities. What amateur astronomers call light pollution.

<<< That old line is hardly evidence for anything, Andy. Cheers. >>>

well it seems like pretty firm evidence to me.

The world evolves as people find better ways of doing things. That is not to say there was anything wrong with the way we did things before.

...and why some things continue as they are despite other things being introduced (or imposed).


Stan - I didn't know that tidbit about lights and Sir P.M.'s campaign - cheers for bringing that here.