# A new candidate for the 10th planet found? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 29, 2005, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-candidate-for-the-10th-planet-found/314814 "2005-07-29T21:53:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Yeticus\_Rex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a698b9/32.png) [@Yeticus\_Rex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yeticus_Rex)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2005, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-candidate-for-the-10th-planet-found/314814/1 "2005-07-29T21:53:11Z")
[Sky & Telescope Link.](http://skyandtelescope.com/news/article_1560_1.asp) Plusses: It’s bigger than Pluto. Negatives: Highly inclined orbit. Another Kuiper Belt Object. Neither: Currently 97 AU from the Sun. Probably flung into this orbit courtesy of Neptune. Do you think that we have a 10th planet or is this becoming more likely that we actually have 8 planets and a bunch of KBO’s? Further down in the article, there was a bonus KBO discovery that makes me think we should consider ourselves an 8 planet solar system. ---
**Author:** ![Baldwin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baldwin/32/7264_2.png) [@Baldwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baldwin)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2005, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-candidate-for-the-10th-planet-found/314814/2 "2005-07-29T21:59:13Z")
My head says eight planets and some large KPO. But my heart doesn’t want to let go of Pluto. When you grow up with nine planets, it’s hard to give one up. ---
**Author:** ![wolf\_meister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf_meister/32/15202_2.png) [@wolf\_meister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_meister)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2005, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-candidate-for-the-10th-planet-found/314814/3 "2005-07-29T23:28:55Z")
Yeah, I’ll agree with Baldwin on this one. You don’t declare something is a planet and then _75 years later_, revoke its “planetness”. I know Clyde Tombaugh (Pluto’s discoverer) was (obviously) a strong advocate of its planetary categorization. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2005, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-candidate-for-the-10th-planet-found/314814/4 "2005-07-30T00:06:31Z")
I hear they’re considering the name Goofy. ---
**Author:** ![Carnac\_the\_Magnificent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Carnac\_the\_Magnificent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carnac_the_Magnificent)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2005, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-candidate-for-the-10th-planet-found/314814/5 "2005-07-30T00:28:29Z")
At this rate, the new planet may be one of 40 or 50 in our solar system. Imagine having to recite THOSE names in grade school! ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2005, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-candidate-for-the-10th-planet-found/314814/6 "2005-07-30T02:24:01Z")
> [@Beware of Doug](#): > > I hear they’re considering the name Goofy. Mother Very Easily Made a Jam Sandwich Using No Peanuts, Mayonnaise or Glue. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2005, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-candidate-for-the-10th-planet-found/314814/7 "2005-07-30T02:29:54Z")
Please see New Planet Discovered in Our Solar System? > **[New Planet Discovered in Our Solar System?](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=327799)** > > Its something, all right, but those who dis Pluto might not want to call it a planet. I think that whatever it is, they should name it “Bob.” from earlier in the days. ---
**Author:** ![Yeticus\_Rex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a698b9/32.png) [@Yeticus\_Rex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yeticus_Rex)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2005, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-candidate-for-the-10th-planet-found/314814/8 "2005-08-01T17:57:36Z")
> [@jrfranchi](#): > > Please see New Planet Discovered in Our Solar System? > [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=327799](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=327799) > from earlier in the days. That thread is describing KBO 2003 EL61. The link I provided is 2003 UB313 with a mere honorable mention of 2003 EL61. ---
**Author:** ![Yeticus\_Rex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a698b9/32.png) [@Yeticus\_Rex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yeticus_Rex)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2005, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-candidate-for-the-10th-planet-found/314814/9 "2005-08-01T18:06:14Z")
And here is the discover’s [website](http://www.gps.caltech.edu/~mbrown/planetlila/index.html) with comparisons to other KBO’s and Pluto. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2005, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-candidate-for-the-10th-planet-found/314814/10 "2005-08-01T18:22:31Z")
> [@Yeticus Rex](#): > > And here is the discover’s [website](http://www.gps.caltech.edu/~mbrown/planetlila/index.html) > [@](#): > > Luckily, the world is full of mythological and spiritual traditions. In the past we have named Kuiper belt objects after native American, Inuit, and [minor] Roman gods. **Our new proposed name expands to different traditions, still.** Bob it is! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![toadspittle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c0e974/32.png) [@toadspittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadspittle)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2005, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-candidate-for-the-10th-planet-found/314814/11 "2005-08-01T22:50:34Z")
Here’s an even bigger question: Why would a hacker threat cause them to release the info. about it? > **[Sunday Independent](https://www.iol.co.za/sundayindependent)** > > \- > [@](#): > > The briefing was hastily arranged after Brown received word that a secure website containing the discovery had been hacked and the hacker had threatened to release the information. ? Go ahead. Why not? Why would the hacker even care? ---
**Author:** ![tim314](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim314/32/3468_2.png) [@tim314](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tim314)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2005, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-candidate-for-the-10th-planet-found/314814/12 "2005-08-02T05:38:24Z")
> [@Baldwin](#): > > My head says eight planets and some large KPO. But my heart doesn’t want to let go of Pluto. When you grow up with nine planets, it’s hard to give one up. I say we go back to eight planets, but rename the Kuiper Belt the “Pluto belt.” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2005, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-candidate-for-the-10th-planet-found/314814/13 "2005-08-02T11:39:01Z")
> [@toadspittle](#): > > Here’s an even bigger question: Why would a hacker threat cause them to release the info. about it? > > [Sunday Independent](http://www.sundayindependent.co.za/index.php?fArticleId=2733660&fSectionId=1041) > > ? > > Go ahead. Why not? Why would the hacker even care? From what I’ve heard, the hackers were other astronomers who were going to use the observation data to steal credit for discovering the new planet. ---
**Author:** ![Ponster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponster/32/17081_2.png) [@Ponster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponster)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2005, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-candidate-for-the-10th-planet-found/314814/14 "2005-08-02T12:19:13Z")
They weren’t actually ‘hackers’ but a guy who used Goggle to dig up the information that Brown had put on the Internet himself 2 years ago. [This](http://www.gps.caltech.edu/~mbrown/planetlila/index.html) is Brown’s webpage explaining all about the “hacking”. Brown published an apstract of a paper mentioning K40506A which was his reference to the planet and also the default reference given by the telescope whos logs were also availavle on the 'net. Googling ‘K40506A’ gives you an abstract about a new object being found AND the location of it in the sky, so Brown was rushed to bring to news to the world before others did.