Discovery of a Kuiper belt object with an Unusual Orbit

Discovery of a Large Edgeworth Kuiper belt object with an Unusual Orbit designated 2004 XR 190 or temporary name "Buffy" was discovered by a team of astronomers working in Canada, France and the United States.

The team discovered an unusual small body orbiting the Sun beyond Neptune, in the region astronomers call the Edgeworth Kuiper belt.

"Buffy" is twice as far from the Sun as Neptune and is roughly half the size of Pluto. The body's highly unusual orbit is difficult to explain using previous theories of the formation of the outer Solar System.

Currently 58 astronomical units from the Sun (1 astronomical unit, or AU,
is the distance between the Earth and the Sun), "Buffy" never
approaches closer than 50 AU, because its orbit is close to circular.

Almost all Edgeworth Kuiper belt objects discovered beyond Neptune are between 30 AU and 50 AU away. Beyond 50 AU, the main Edgeworth Kuiper belt appears to end, and what few objects have been discovered beyond this distance have all been on very high eccentricity (non-circular) orbits. Most of these high-eccentricity orbits are the result of Neptune "flinging" the object outward by a gravitational slingshot. However, because this new object does not approach closer than 50 AU, a different theory is needed to explain its orbit. Complicating the problem, the object's orbit also has an extreme tilt, being inclined (tilted) at 47 degrees to the rest of the Solar System.

Eamonn A

New Scientist Article on it

Buffy? Xena? Gabrielle? . . . I think the people naming these Kuiper Belt objects need to get out a bit more Ok, I know they are only temporary designations (Persephone being the name favoured for "Xena" . . . but there's an asteroid called that already). Still, I can't wait for Stargate fans to start tossing in their favourite characters names. Oh my God, Apohos is threatening to destroy the Earth!!!

John

Oh my God, Apohos is threatening to destroy the Earth!!!

John

Hehehe... coming your way is an article for Arcturus I penned about that one!

:lol:

Seanie.

A copy of the article is also available on www.pulsar.co.nr (on the homepage right now, but it will move tommorrow.