BS: New Planet?

Subject: BS: New Planet?
From: RangerSteve
Date: 31 Jul 05 - 10:46 PM

I got home from work last night and really wanted to go to bed, but Law and Order,Criminal Intent looked intriguing, so I stayed up, and learned that there would be a story on the news concerning a new planet. Of course, the news started with all the usual crap about crime in Philadelphia, which is pretty far from where I live and I don't care, so since I was really tired by that point, I went to bed, thinking that there would be a story in the Sunday paper.

There wasn't. There was nothing posted on the Yahoo home page either.

So what happened? Was I so tired that I hallucinated the whole story?

Also, I propose that we ditch the usual Latin names and call this one Jim Bob. No special reason, I just think Jim Bob is a good name for a planet.

Steve

Subject: RE: BS: New Planet?
From: Tweed
Date: 31 Jul 05 - 11:00 PM

No, it's real RS and they think it's bigger than Pluto, which ain't all that big. I heard something on NPR Friday or Saturday about it.

Subject: RE: BS: New Planet?
From: John O'L
Date: 31 Jul 05 - 11:19 PM

Here is the story of (sorry RS) object 2003UB313, or Xena.
I too prefer Jim Bob.

Subject: RE: BS: New Planet?
From: Peace
Date: 31 Jul 05 - 11:33 PM

Jim Bob sounds good. Of course, on formal occasions it might be best to revert to James Robert. Jus' an idea.

Subject: RE: BS: New Planet?
From: khandu
Date: 31 Jul 05 - 11:55 PM

I vote "Planet khandusian".
Has a nice ring to it, eh?

khandu

Subject: RE: BS: New Planet?
From: Peace
Date: 01 Aug 05 - 12:03 AM

The planet ain't GOT a ring to it. That's Saturn and Uranus yer thinkin' of.

Subject: RE: BS: New Planet?
From: khandu
Date: 01 Aug 05 - 12:10 AM

My anus has a ring to it???

Oh...yeah.

k

Subject: RE: BS: New Planet?
From: Peace
Date: 01 Aug 05 - 12:25 AM

Some days it jus' don' pay to get up.

Subject: RE: BS: New Planet?
From: Cluin
Date: 01 Aug 05 - 12:45 AM

I don't believe the Jimbobians would be pleased to learn you are all being so flippant concerning their home. Have a healthy respect for them and their Triple Spiked Corn-Seeking Anal Probes.

Subject: RE: BS: New Planet?
From: Peace
Date: 01 Aug 05 - 12:49 AM

It's gonna play hell with the mnemonic: Many Very Early Men Ate Juicy Steaks Using No Plates.

How about "Many Very Early Men Ate Juicy Steaks Using No Plates, Jack!"

Subject: RE: BS: New Planet?
From: Amos
Date: 01 Aug 05 - 12:55 AM

Not one but two. One just beyond Neptune, the other out beyond Jupiter.

They were found within a few days; not noticed before because they -- or at least one of them -- is up about 45º to the usual plane.

There is a rgument in rarified circles as to whether they qualify as planets or not.

Pictures here.

A

Subject: RE: BS: New Planet?
From: Amos
Date: 01 Aug 05 - 01:07 AM

Astronomical detective work led to the stunning discovery of a large new world beyond Pluto – and hiding in plain sight. The object could be the biggest in the Kuiper belt of rocky objects that orbit the outer reaches of the solar system.

The first data made public about the object suggested the object could be up to twice the size of Pluto, but newly revealed observations indicate the object is about 70% Pluto's diameter.

The find suggests more such objects are waiting to be discovered and is likely to reignite the fierce debate about what constitutes a planet.

On Thursday, an email with the subject, "Big TNO discovery, urgent" was sent to a popular astronomy mailing list. The message described the discovery of a "very bright" object that was creeping along slowly beyond the orbit of Neptune - making it a Trans-Neptunian Object, or TNO.

If the reflectivity is as dim as most other distant, rocky objects that have been studied, the object "would be larger than Pluto," Jose-Luis Ortiz, an astronomer at the Sierra Nevada Observatory in Spain, wrote in the email. Pluto is about 2300 kilometres across.

---

The reason the second one in particular may not be called a planet is the same reason that some poeple think Pluto should not be called one -- it is an overgrown Kuiper belt rocky objects. The Kuiper belt, where Pluto (not Jupiter as I said) is found apparently has many solid objects of ice and rock in it.

Anyway, we're up to at least ten if the debate doesn't squash the motion.

A

Subject: RE: BS: New Planet?
From: Cluin
Date: 01 Aug 05 - 01:10 AM

Many Very Enthusiastic Men Ate Jennifer Staunchly Unflinching Notwithstanding Previously Jawed Boils

Subject: RE: BS: New Planet?
From: Peace
Date: 01 Aug 05 - 01:52 AM

Nice touch with the 'boils' there Cluin. A lesser individual would have chosen the easy way out. Proud of you, buddy.

Subject: RE: BS: New Planet?
From: Splott Man
Date: 01 Aug 05 - 04:33 AM

My Very Easy Mnemonic Shows Us Nine Planets (Plusone)

So the new one would have to begin with P

or A for Andsome

or E for Etcetera

or...

Subject: RE: BS: New Planet?
From: John O'L
Date: 01 Aug 05 - 06:22 AM

What's this 'Ate' business anyway? What planet does 'A' stand for?

Splott Man's model doesn't seem to have a Jupiter, but everyone else seems to be comfortable with an extra planet starting with A.

I wonder what Jim & Bob think of all this. I suspect that they have known for centuries (Jim Bob centuries) that there are actually 12 planets.

Subject: RE: BS: New Planet?
From: Paul Burke
Date: 01 Aug 05 - 07:34 AM

A = Asteroid belt

I suspect they chose Xena from Planet X. how do you pronounce it? Ex-Ena, Zener, Khhhhena, Gzena???

I also suspect they'll find hundreds more about the same size, now that they are counting lumps of ice and muck as planets.

Subject: RE: BS: New Planet?
From: GUEST,Mrr
Date: 01 Aug 05 - 11:48 AM

I thought the decision was already taken to call any 10th planet Persephone.

Subject: RE: BS: New Planet?
From: MMario
Date: 01 Aug 05 - 11:57 AM

But the tenth planet is already Sedna.

Subject: RE: BS: New Planet?
From: GUEST
Date: 01 Aug 05 - 12:05 PM

Many Very Early Men Ate Juicy Steaks Using No Plates Jim-bututnotasweknowit-Bob

Subject: RE: BS: New Planet?
From: MudGuard
Date: 01 Aug 05 - 12:16 PM

As all readers of the Hitchhikers Guide know, the tenth planet has the name "Rupert".

Subject: RE: BS: New Planet?
From: GUEST
Date: 01 Aug 05 - 07:04 PM

Maybe I'm just showing my ignorance but.....
What IS a plannet?
If the orbit comes as close as Neptune would that perturb the outer plannet's orbit('s)
How can we know how big it is without knowing it's albido
Am I just jabbering ontoo much?

Subject: RE: BS: New Planet?
From: Peace
Date: 01 Aug 05 - 07:07 PM

Planet 10 has been suspected for decades. But hell, some folks are still arguing as to whether Pluto is rightfully a planet. GUEST, you have opened a can of worms.

Subject: RE: BS: New Planet?
From: GUEST,Cluin
Date: 01 Aug 05 - 07:19 PM

I wasn't plannin' on a new planet
When I got up this morning
Seems there's more new shit to deal with ev'ry day
So just hold yer horses, dammit!
Give me a little warning
Let me at least adjust my footing before you yank the rug away

Subject: RE: BS: New Planet?
From: Mrrzy
Date: 01 Aug 05 - 07:50 PM

I don't believe it. According to Wikipedia the Persephone idea is a Star Trek reference. Yikes!

Subject: RE: BS: New Planet?
From: Peace
Date: 01 Aug 05 - 08:01 PM

She ain't big enough to be a planet, IMO.

Subject: RE: BS: New Planet?
From: Kaleea
Date: 01 Aug 05 - 08:18 PM

Listen, if'n yore goin' t' use their name, git th' spellin' rite! I happun tew know thet thar familee. They'unz spell ther name,
B-o-b-b, wif, uh, lemme count--3 B's! So's yew kin git it rite now!
   Jim Bobb, Jim Jo Bobb, Bubba Bobb, etc.

Oh, yeah, 'n jist how duz thet thar new fangled planet affekt m' horriblescope? Geez, I jist had m' chart dun, too!

Subject: RE: BS: New Planet?
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 01 Aug 05 - 08:38 PM

Might make a real Horroscope of it...

Subject: RE: BS: New Planet?
From: Amos
Date: 01 Aug 05 - 10:39 PM

Horoscope, tovarich!
:)


A

Subject: RE: BS: New Planet?
From: Bill D
Date: 01 Aug 05 - 11:10 PM

you need horroscopes to read the plannets

Subject: RE: BS: New Planet?
From: GUEST,Paranoid Android
Date: 02 Aug 05 - 07:56 AM

I go totally with "RUPERT" to honour Douglas Adams. .... Massive redundencies in the Astrological professions !!!!!

Subject: RE: BS: New Planet?
From: RangerSteve
Date: 02 Aug 05 - 03:40 PM

I don't understand the problem with Pluto being a planet. It's been a planet for so long, why not just let it remain one? It's not like impersonating a police officer, where Pluto is getting something it doesen't deserve by pretending to be a planet. It's a planet and that's that.

Jim Bob's moon, should there prove to be one, should be given a dog-type name, like Ole Yeller, or something.

Steve

Subject: RE: BS: New Planet?
From: MMario
Date: 02 Aug 05 - 03:52 PM

I remember seeing Persophone used as a tenth planet name well prior to Star Trek - but then again I am a compulsive Science fiction Reader.

Subject: RE: BS: New Planet?
From: Peace
Date: 02 Aug 05 - 08:41 PM

Asimov used it I think.

Subject: RE: BS: New Planet?
From: Cluin
Date: 02 Aug 05 - 09:29 PM

If you're going to follow that line of thinking, you should use the Roman equivalent of the name, Proserpina.
All the other planets use the Roman names.

Subject: RE: BS: New Planet?
From: Uncle_DaveO
Date: 03 Aug 05 - 11:41 AM

Splottman gave us:

My Very Easy Mnemonic Shows Us Nine Planets (Plusone)

but someone complained that the "ate" part wasn't there. I propose inserting "artfully" after Mnemonic. Thus:

My Very Easy Mnemonic artfully Shows Us Nine Planets (Plusone)

Now if they stick with "Xena" I'm not sure what we do.

Dave Oesterreich

Subject: RE: BS: New Planet?
From: GUEST,noddy
Date: 03 Aug 05 - 11:49 AM

Buy one get one free.

Subject: RE: BS: New Planet?
From: MMario
Date: 03 Aug 05 - 11:55 AM

so - is this object BIGGER or NOT bigger then Pluto? I have seen qoutes from the same person saying both. Anyone know which is correct?

Subject: RE: BS: New Planet?
From: mooman
Date: 03 Aug 05 - 12:08 PM

Dave and Splott,

What happened to Jupiter? Has it gone?

Peace

moo

Subject: RE: BS: New Planet?
From: GUEST,Alien Being
Date: 03 Aug 05 - 12:28 PM

Actually, the name of our planet is Phred. And please, no jokes! The Great Flungdinger who Created the Universe really has a lousy sense of humor, putting us this far away from the sun. We're freezin' our butts off out here!!

Subject: RE: BS: New Planet?
From: MudGuard
Date: 03 Aug 05 - 12:37 PM

In German,

Mein
Vater
Erklärt
Mir
Jeden
Sonntag
Unsere
Neun
Planeten

is used to teach the order of planets (it means "My father explains the nine planets to me each Sunday")

Subject: RE: BS: New Planet?
From: beardedbruce
Date: 03 Aug 05 - 02:44 PM

The next planet to be discovered was to be named Persephone... At least it was back in the mid-late 60's. The IAU has the final call.

Subject: RE: BS: New Planet?
From: Murray MacLeod
Date: 03 Aug 05 - 06:12 PM

It would be ridiculous to call it Persephone.

First of all, it would be mispronounced by practically everybody on this planet.

Secondly, it would give two successive "P's" in the mnemonic. Not good.

I am in favour of naming it something beginning with a vowel. I like the sound of "Oregano".

Subject: RE: BS: New Planet?
From: beardedbruce
Date: 03 Aug 05 - 06:23 PM

There are rules regarding the naming of planets, planetary features, etc.


http://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/

Subject: RE: BS: New Planet?
From: Peace
Date: 03 Aug 05 - 06:23 PM

It would be easy for kids to remember. PP. Yeah.

Why not something like Percivil?

Subject: RE: BS: New Planet?
From: beardedbruce
Date: 03 Aug 05 - 06:37 PM

Percivil was a Roman God?

Subject: RE: BS: New Planet?
From: Cluin
Date: 03 Aug 05 - 11:32 PM

BB, that site contains a mistake. Pluto is the Roman name for the god of the underworld, not the Greek god, which is Hades. Once again, Proserpina is the Roman equivalent of his sometime consort.

Subject: RE: BS: New Planet?
From: beardedbruce
Date: 04 Aug 05 - 02:32 PM

planets- Roman gods-

Mercury
Venus
Mars
Jupiter
Saturn
Uranus
Neptune
Pluto....

Subject: RE: BS: New Planet?
From: MMario
Date: 04 Aug 05 - 02:38 PM

lesse if I can remember - it's been many m,any years...

Mercury Hermes
Venus Aphrodite
Mars Ares
Jupiter Jove
Saturn ?? Cronos? (yup - looked it up)
Uranus tilt,tilt, tilt! Uranus is Greek - roman equivilant was Caelus
Neptune Posiedon
Pluto Hades

Subject: RE: BS: New Planet?
From: beardedbruce
Date: 04 Aug 05 - 03:36 PM

OK, we need to go after those 19th century astromomers who violated the IAU rules...