Surprise Discovery in Outer Solar System

[bison]

A surprising discovery in the outer solar system is set to be announced on Wednesday, March 26th, In Brazil. The unexpected result is said to raise several unanswered questions, and is expected provoke much debate. Just what was discovered, and details about it are being strictly embargoed until Wednesday.

http://www.eso.org/p...ements/ann14021

Edited March 25, 2014 by bison

[MissJatti]

the discovery was that they smelled something so foul in space

[EllJay]

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[Taun]

Lets have a guessing game as to what it is... We each get three guesses...

1. They discovered that the medieval 'astronomers' were right all along and everything IS on giant crystal spheres...

2. That the planets aren't really that far away, they are just really small...

3. The inhabitants of Pluto really were PO'd about being demoted out of full planetary status and an invasion fleet is on it's way...

(I'm wrong on all accounts aren't I)...

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Love that movie!

[EllJay]

Lets have a guessing game as to what it is... We each get three guesses...

1. They discovered that the medieval 'astronomers' were right all along and everything IS on giant crystal spheres...

Yeah, or maybe they found out that the "Flammarion astronomer" where right all this time. Piercing through the veil.

That would be cool, and a surprise.

The engraving depicts a man, clothed in a long robe and carrying a staff, who kneels down and passes his head, shoulders, and right arm through a gap between the star-studded sky and the earth, discovering a marvellous realm of circling clouds, fires and suns beyond the heavens. One of the elements of the cosmic machinery bears a strong resemblance to traditional pictorial representations of the "wheel in the middle of a wheel" described in the visions of the Hebrew prophet Ezekiel. One of the most significant features of the landscape is the tree, which some people have interpreted as the Kabbalistic Tree of Life.

The caption that accompanies the engraving in Flammarion's book reads:

A missionary of the Middle Ages tells that he had found the point where the sky and the Earth touch

http://en.wikipedia....arion_engraving

Love that movie!

Always when I hear someone yell `SURPRISE´ I think of this scene. Especially if it´s done with an asian/english accent. (I'm sorry, but it just sounds to fun).

Edited March 25, 2014 by EllJay

[Taun]

Actually EllJay.. that pic was exactly the one I had in mind when I posted item #1... (Even though it's not "the crystal spheres")... How weird is that?...

[EllJay]

Actually EllJay.. that pic was exactly the one I had in mind when I posted item #1... (Even though it's not "the crystal spheres")... How weird is that?...

Telepathy and synchronicity.

[spud the mackem]

And the Surprise is... they are on their way and have to be stopped at all cost.(a) large impact meteors..( E.T.Craft..© ???

[bison]

The two telescopes mentioned by name, out of seven involved, in all, were the TRAPPIST 60 centimeter instrument, and the Danish 1.45 meter one, both at the La Silla observatory in Chile. The one thing these two telescopes have in common is that they look, on a part time basis, for comets.

I don't quite see what could be surprising about a comet. They've already been seen to assume a number of odd shapes, and do remarkable things, like break into many pieces and crash into the planet Jupiter, and threaten to sideswipe Mars. The odds that this discovery is about a comet headed directly for Earth seem very slight.

Perhaps while hunting for the dim traces of these cosmic gadflies, while they're still in the outer reaches of our solar system, they turned up something else of interest. Perhaps an enigmatic object is involved,and they can't decide if it's a comet, or what it is, hence the prediction of 'much debate'. If so, we'll learn the source of their perplexity in less than a day.

[taniwha]

Exciting times in the universe.

[willowdreams]

I want astronomers to discover a blue police call box hurtling through space...

[EllJay]

I want astronomers to discover a blue police call box hurtling through space...

[bison]

Details about the new discovery concerning by far the largest Centaur asteroid/comet, Chariklo, which orbits between Saturn and Uranus.

http://aerospace.firetrench.com/2014/03/20-seconds-that-changed-our-understanding-of-the-solar-system-surprise-discovery-of-double-ring-system-around-asteroid-like-body

[Taun]

Details about the new discovery concerning by far the largest Centaur asteroid/comet, Chariklo, which orbits between Saturn and Uranus.

http://aerospace.fir...eroid-like-body

That is cool... I know I posted a funny selection earlier, but I was really thinking perhaps they had discovered traces of the supposed giant planet out in the Oort cloud that (theoretically) cause comets....

But a double ringed small body like that is really surprising... I am assuming the rings are on the same plane...(?)....

[Thelaw1]

Probably found Iraq's WMDs

Edited March 26, 2014 by Thelaw1

[theotherguy]

If I have my time zone conversion right, they have released their findings already. My guess is that they found a new rocky planet-sized celestial body. Also known as a planet, I guess.

[bison]

Two small, icy/rocky rings found around the already-known largest asteroid/comet hybrid (Centaur), called Chariklo. It orbits the Sun between Saturn and Uranus.

http://www.csmonitor...own-ring-system

Edited March 26, 2014 by bison

[theotherguy]

While interesting, how will this provoke debate? It's a ringed asteroid. We now know they exist.

[bison]

The source of the expected controversy doesn't occur to me, either. Perhaps some dynamicist will work out that it's impossible for an object of this mass to retain matter as rings. How else to explain the observed patterns of dimming of the occulted star escapes me, though.

[MissJatti]

the surprise discovery was...... they found bigfoot's foot print on planet ABC321

[taniwha]

ASTEROID CHARLIKO... It does have a nice ring to it!

Oops that would be CHARIKLO... Bit of a tongue twister for ya lol ol.

Edited March 27, 2014 by taniwha

[Frank Merton]

Well now I saw reports of two Solar System discoveries. One was of an asteroid with a ring (presumably of dust) around it. The other was a mini-planet way out there beyond Pluto where they have if memory serves already found few others.

Both are plainly significant and important, but not overwhelmingly so.

[Waspie_Dwarf]

Well now I saw reports of two Solar System discoveries. One was of an asteroid with a ring (presumably of dust) around it. The other was a mini-planet way out there beyond Pluto where they have if memory serves already found few others.

You are correct, these are two separate discoveries and not the same object.

Both are plainly significant and important, but not overwhelmingly so.

We are not all overwhelmed by the same things (vive la différence as they say in France). I am sure that there are planetary scientists that think all their Christmases have come together with these two discoveries announced on the same day.

[Waspie_Dwarf]

Well now I saw reports of two Solar System discoveries.

As these are two separate discoveries I thought that, to avoid confusion and allow in depth discussion of both, it might be an idea to start separate topics on each.

The topic on the most distant dwarf planet so far discovered, 2012 VP113 can be found HERE.

The topic on the asteroid with rings, (10199) Chariklo, can be found HERE.