# New Planet Discovered in Our Solar System? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 29, 2005, 9:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-planet-discovered-in-our-solar-system/314713 "2005-07-29T09:18:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2005, 9:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-planet-discovered-in-our-solar-system/314713/1 "2005-07-29T09:18:29Z")
[Its _something_, all right, but those who dis Pluto might not want to call it a planet.](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4726733.stm) > [@](#): > > Astronomers have found a large object in the Solar System’s outer reaches. It is being hailed as “a great discovery”. > > Details of the object are still sketchy. It never comes closer to the Sun than Neptune and spends most of its time much further out than Pluto. > > It is one of the largest objects ever found in the outer Solar System and is almost certainly made of ice and rock. > > It is at least 1,500km (930 miles) across and may be larger than Pluto, which is 2,274km (1,400 miles) across. I think that whatever it is, they should name it “Bob.” ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2005, 9:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-planet-discovered-in-our-solar-system/314713/2 "2005-07-29T09:28:10Z")
I think they should call it ‘cake’, or possibly ‘this’. ---
**Author:** ![Hung\_Mung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a88e4f/32.png) [@Hung\_Mung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hung_Mung)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2005, 9:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-planet-discovered-in-our-solar-system/314713/3 "2005-07-29T09:31:47Z")
In keeping with Roman mythology I hereby dub it ‘Discordia’. Because it’s just going to piss people off. ---
**Author:** ![Ponder\_Stibbons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponder_stibbons/32/343_2.png) [@Ponder\_Stibbons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponder_Stibbons)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2005, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-planet-discovered-in-our-solar-system/314713/4 "2005-07-29T13:59:57Z")
> [@Tuckerfan](#): > > I think that whatever it is, they should name it “Bob.” I’m leaning towards “Nunavut”, myself. ---
**Author:** ![Dragwyr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dragwyr/32/2855_2.png) [@Dragwyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dragwyr)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2005, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-planet-discovered-in-our-solar-system/314713/5 "2005-07-29T14:53:23Z")
Boy this will really screw up the astrologers, won’t it? ---
**Author:** ![Draelin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce73a5/32.png) [@Draelin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Draelin)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2005, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-planet-discovered-in-our-solar-system/314713/6 "2005-07-29T15:05:01Z")
My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nine Pickles … and some other stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Ponder\_Stibbons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponder_stibbons/32/343_2.png) [@Ponder\_Stibbons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponder_Stibbons)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2005, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-planet-discovered-in-our-solar-system/314713/7 "2005-07-29T15:16:59Z")
> [@Dragwyr](#): > > Boy this will really screw up the astrologers, won’t it? Maybe they should sue!! 🙂 Unfortunately, [news reports that the object could be twice as big as Pluto are unfounded](http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/050729_large_object.html). I must say I’m disappointed, because I’m in the “Pluto shouldn’t be designated a planet” camp, and a new object larger than Pluto would’ve helped the cause. ---
**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 29, 2005, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-planet-discovered-in-our-solar-system/314713/8 "2005-07-29T15:17:15Z")
They are going to keep discovering large planetoids, Kuiper Belt objects, Giant Rocks, whatever you personally wish to call them. From reading Sci-Am and Wired and New Scientist it sounds like they are more likely to downgrade Pluto then consider any of these new finds planets. My guess is 60-100 years Pluto will be a large orbital object circling the Sun beyond the orbit of the 8 planets. Last year they found Sedna, so debate has already started. [List of Objects from Wiki](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuiper_belt) ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2005, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-planet-discovered-in-our-solar-system/314713/9 "2005-07-29T15:43:30Z")
Clearly it should be named Rupert. ---
**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 29, 2005, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-planet-discovered-in-our-solar-system/314713/10 "2005-07-29T15:45:29Z")
I forgot to put up a name: I vote for Nemo. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Ashtar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@Lord\_Ashtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Ashtar)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2005, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-planet-discovered-in-our-solar-system/314713/11 "2005-07-29T16:35:34Z")
[I thought they had already dubbed it Sedna.](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3511678.stm) ---
**Author:** ![Ponder\_Stibbons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponder_stibbons/32/343_2.png) [@Ponder\_Stibbons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponder_Stibbons)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2005, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-planet-discovered-in-our-solar-system/314713/12 "2005-07-29T16:41:02Z")
It’s not Sedna, it’s a _new_ new one. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2005, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-planet-discovered-in-our-solar-system/314713/13 "2005-07-29T22:23:54Z")
[Apparently, there’s _another_ one out there!](http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2005/jul/HQ_M05125_New_planet_advisory.html) > [@](#): > > A media teleconference will be held today to announce major findings regarding the detection of a new planet in our solar system. > > 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 his colleagues made the observations as part of a NASA-funded research project. ---
**Author:** ![Ashes\_Ashes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/db5fbb/32.png) [@Ashes\_Ashes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashes_Ashes)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2005, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-planet-discovered-in-our-solar-system/314713/14 "2005-07-29T22:31:45Z")
Please people, it’s obvious what that is-- a Borg cube! [sup]But I don’t wanna be assimilated; I have a fear of nanoprobes, y’know[/sup] ---
**Author:** ![Ponder\_Stibbons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponder_stibbons/32/343_2.png) [@Ponder\_Stibbons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponder_Stibbons)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2005, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-planet-discovered-in-our-solar-system/314713/15 "2005-07-30T00:42:38Z")
Wow! Latest news shows this newest object [is indeed larger than Pluto](http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8760309/). The astronomer who found it is calling it the 10th planet. Myself, I think we should just demote pluto and call it 8. Either way, though, it’s still a cool discovery. ---
**Author:** ![Ponder\_Stibbons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponder_stibbons/32/343_2.png) [@Ponder\_Stibbons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponder_Stibbons)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2005, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-planet-discovered-in-our-solar-system/314713/16 "2005-07-30T00:46:37Z")
PS. And here’s where it may get confusing. This latest object is currently just called 2003UB313 (from the link). The object **Tuckerfan** originally started this thread about is a different hunk of rock called 2003 EL61. And Sedna, which was found several months ago, is a completely different rock altogether. Whooooooo!! The astronomers are finding Kuiper objects like a m---- Naaaaah. Better not. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Metacom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecae2f/32.png) [@Metacom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Metacom)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2005, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-planet-discovered-in-our-solar-system/314713/17 "2005-07-30T01:16:33Z")
I think they should name the new planet “Jupiter.” Just to fuck with people. ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2005, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-planet-discovered-in-our-solar-system/314713/18 "2005-07-30T01:20:12Z")
Dave. Actually, I don’t care what they name it so long as they steer clear of names ending in “-anus” this time. We have enough giggling schoolkids as it is. ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2005, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-planet-discovered-in-our-solar-system/314713/19 "2005-07-30T02:14:53Z")
Dave Anus? ---
**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, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-planet-discovered-in-our-solar-system/314713/20 "2005-07-30T02:22:50Z")
I’m sorry Dave, I’m afraid I can’t do that. 😉 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-planet-discovered-in-our-solar-system/314713.md?page=2)