Space & Astronomy

New dwarf planet discovered beyond Neptune

By T.K. Randall
July 12, 2016

Image: Solar System
Credit: Harman Smith, Laura Generosa, NASA/JPL / (PD) One of the most remote dwarf planets ever discovered, this tiny, distant world, which has been designated 2015 RR245, is situated over nine billion kilometers from the Earth.

It was first picked up back in September 2015 when astronomers noticed an unknown bright spot moving across the sky in images taken by a telescope on Mauna Kea in Hawaii.

"It was really remarkable to see how bright this object was," said astronomer Michele Bannister from the University of Victoria. "It's far brighter than the objects we normally find."As for finding a proper name for this new world - the International Astronomical Union (IAU) will generally only assign one once the planet has been observed for several years.

Scientists will then have the opportunity to propose their own suggestions on what to call it.

"As long as the proposal is reasonable and a bit mythological, it's generally fine," said Bannister.

Source: The Guardian

Tags: Dwarf Planet