NASA SCHEDULES NEWS BRIEFING ABOUT UNUSUAL SOLAR OBJECT

Hot off the press, We are still in the age of discovery...anybody hear about this?
Keith..

The discovery of a mysterious object in our solar system
is the topic of a listen-and-log-on news briefing on Monday,
March 15, at 1 p.m. EST.

Dr. Michael Brown, associate professor of planetary astronomy,
California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, Calif. will
present his discovery of the most distant object ever detected
orbiting the sun. He and colleagues made the discovery as part
of a NASA-funded research project.

The virtual news briefing is only for reporters. Reporters in
the United States can listen to the briefing and participate in
the question-and-answer session by calling: 888/889-1963.
Overseas media may call: 1/773/756-4808. Calls to these lines
should start at 12:50 p.m. EST. The passcode is: "objects."

Graphics supporting this news briefing will be posted Monday on
the Internet by 1 p.m. EST:

www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/releases/ssc2004-
05/telecon/

Images and information about this discovery will be on the
Internet at:

www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/releases/ssc2004-05

&

www.nasa.gov

Hi All,
Read on another site that this thing could be 1/3 the size of the Earth ????
If true, it must be way past Pluto in the Kuiper belt.
Hopefully they will give it a name that will be easier then quaouao....... to pronounce.

some more details,

Here's it's orbital data. It's orbit is past pluto.

>From Minor planet centre

2004 DW
Epoch 2004 July 14.0 TT = JDT 2453200.5 MPC
M 157.53935 (2000.0) P Q
n 0.00397415 Peri. 73.33306 +0.88938207 +0.29291815
a 39.4736087 Node 268.53705 -0.41786255 +0.83230339
e 0.2179109 Incl. 20.55528 +0.18544657 +0.47060603
P 248 H 2.4 G 0.15 U 2

>From JPL

JPL DASTCOM Database Browser
Asteroid (2004 DW)
Alternate Designation: none
Record Number 118761
SPK-ID(s) 3175341
Epoch of Osculation (Julian Day, ET) 2453200.5
Epoch of Osculation (Calendar Date, ET) 2004-07-14
Astronomical Reference System FK5/J2000
Orbit Solution Reference MPC4-E23


OSCULATING ORBITAL ELEMENTS
(heliocentric ecliptic reference frame)
Mean Anomaly (deg) 157.53775
Argument of Perihelion (deg) 73.33426
Longitude of the Ascending Node (deg) 268.53706
Inclination (deg) 20.55528
Eccentricity 0.2179065
Semi-major Axis (AU) 39.4739058
Perihelion Passage (Julian Day, ET) 2413559.3862887
Perihelion Passage (Calendar Date, ET) 1895-12-31.8862896 Perihelion Distance (AU) 30.872285146

PHYSICAL PARAMETERS
GM (km^3 s^-2) n/a
Radius (km) n/a
H (absolute magnitude) 2.400
G (magnitude slope parameter) 0.15
Color Index (B-V) n/a
Rotation Period (h) n/a
Geometric Albedo n/a
Spectral Class n/a
Orbit Solution Data Arc 1951-2004
Observations used in Orbit Solution 78
Comments A 2004 DW OCC=1 h M-v 38
Comments B


Ephemeris from jpl

****************************************************************************
**********************
Date__(UT)__HR:MN R.A.__(airls-apparent)__DEC r rdot
delta deldot
****************************************************************************
**********************
2004-Mar-13 00:00 09 23 40.8657 -03 19 23.746 47.6113875268 0.27951
46.7747124799 13.39150
2004-Mar-14 00:00 09 23 37.4066 -03 18 56.688 47.6115489574 0.27944
46.7825751958 13.83166
2004-Mar-15 00:00 09 23 33.9971 -03 18 29.499 47.6117103492 0.27937
46.7906909469 14.26778
2004-Mar-16 00:00 09 23 30.6366 -03 18 02.178 47.6118717019 0.27931
46.7990573212 14.69959
2004-Mar-17 00:00 09 23 27.3249 -03 17 34.734 47.6120330157 0.27924
46.8076717552 15.12682
2004-Mar-18 00:00 09 23 24.0621 -03 17 07.177 47.6121942905 0.27917
46.8165315232 15.54919
2004-Mar-19 00:00 09 23 20.8497 -03 16 39.529 47.6123555262 0.27910
46.8256337331 15.96641
2004-Mar-20 00:00 09 23 17.6896 -03 16 11.809 47.6125167228 0.27904
46.8349753295 16.37820
2004-Mar-21 00:00 09 23 14.5844 -03 15 44.041 47.6126778803 0.27897
46.8445531051 16.78432
2004-Mar-22 00:00 09 23 11.5366 -03 15 16.244 47.6128389985 0.27890
46.8543637166 17.18455
2004-Mar-23 00:00 09 23 08.5486 -03 14 48.434 47.6130000775 0.27883
46.8644037041 17.57869
2004-Mar-24 00:00 09 23 05.6224 -03 14 20.621 47.6131611171 0.27877
46.8746695115 17.96661
2004-Mar-25 00:00 09 23 02.7594 -03 13 52.815 47.6133221175 0.27870
46.8851575045 18.34817
2004-Mar-26 00:00 09 22 59.9605 -03 13 25.021 47.6134830785 0.27863
46.8958639850 18.72328
2004-Mar-27 00:00 09 22 57.2262 -03 12 57.243 47.6136440002 0.27856
46.9067852029 19.09186
2004-Mar-28 00:00 09 22 54.5568 -03 12 29.486 47.6138048825 0.27850
46.9179173642 19.45384
****************************************************************************
**********************
Column meaning:

TIME

Prior to 1962, times are UT1. Dates thereafter are UTC. Any 'b' symbol in the 1st-column denotes a B.C. date. First-column blank (" ") denotes an A.D. date. Calendar dates prior to 1582-Oct-15 are in the Julian calendar system. Later calendar dates are in the Gregorian system.

The uniform Coordinate Time scale is used internally. Conversion between CT and the selected non-uniform UT output scale has not been determined for UTC times after the next July or January 1st. The last known leap-second is used over any future interval.

NOTE: "n.a." in output means quantity "not available" at the print-time.

R.A._(airls-apparent)__DEC. =
Airless apparent right ascension and declination of the target with respect to the Earth true-equator and meridian containing the Earth true equinox of date. Corrected for light-time, the gravitational deflection of light, stellar aberration, precession and nutation. Units: HMS (HH MM SS.ffff) and DMS (DD MM SS.fff)

r rdot =
Target apparent heliocentric range ("r") and range-rate ("rdot") as seen by observer. Units: AU and KM/S

delta deldot =
Target apparent range ("delta") and range-rate ("delta-dot") relative to observer. Units: AU and KM/S

Think it's going to be called 'Sedna', 2 Billion miles further out than Pluto!
That's a long way!!
Keith...

oh dear.... from the register.co.uk

Wonder if Terry ever got the astrological influences of his asteroid ascessed?

---
It's good to see that the UK media is straight on the case analysing exactly how the identification of distant planet Sedna will benefit humanity.

And the award for the most enlightening discovery goes to the Sun's Mystic Meg for this sizzling revelation:

"Sedna - named after the Inuit goddess of the sea who is said to have created life in the Arctic Ocean - will mean many months of study for stargazers before they can work out its precise influence on life on Earth.

"But the early signs are looking good for nookie."

Phwoooar! This really is good news for those who needed at bit more ooomph in the bedroom department. Of course, Meg's not just making this up - there's good astrological reasoning at work here:

"I believe this new planet will open our minds and hearts to a new way of living. It is a chance for harmony to replace hostility.

"And because this planet’s nearest neighbour is the sex-master planet Pluto, it gives Sedna a great deal of passion power, too, but of a more silky, subtle, tantalising kind because this planet, named after the goddess, is more female."

Harmony and luuurv? Bring it on.
---

LMAO ... don't you just love the tabloid press!!! :roll: