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Astronomers Find a New "Minor Planet" near Neptune

universetoday.com — Astronomers announced today that a new "minor planet" with an unusual orbit has been found just two billion miles from Earth, closer than Neptune. Using the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, astronomers detected a small, comet-like object called 2006 SQ372, which is likely made of rock and ice.

Who dugg this? Made popular Aug 19, 2008

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  • rypic7, on 08/18/2008, -0/+50This is going to break Pluto's heart... again.
  • jamin, on 08/19/2008, -1/+24Wait..that's no minor planet...
  • AgentMull, on 08/19/2008, -5/+26. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . _________
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    . . . . . . . . . . . ,-‘ :: ::: :: : : :: :::: :::: :: : : : : :O ‘-, . . . . . . . . .
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  • random12345, on 11/16/2008, -2/+19Poor Pluto. This new fella jumps into the game, and its not a moon- not a plutoid... but it's already achieved "minor" planet status. At this rate, it should have the status of 8 planets in a single solar system which will break Jupiter's previous status of being 7 planets in a single solar system.

    ....


    ....sorry. Please digg me down
  • Deadpixel1221, on 08/18/2008, -5/+19Yeah, but what about that minor planet near Uranus?
  • MasterThief117, on 08/19/2008, -1/+14Back in my day, Pluto was a planet.
  • InvisibleInk, on 08/19/2008, -0/+12Far out!
  • inactive, on 08/19/2008, -1/+11Don't tell me what to do. DUGG.
  • Maevirko69, on 08/19/2008, -1/+11IT'S NIBIRU
  • MasterThief117, on 08/19/2008, -0/+9I feel bad for Pluto.
    Pluto will always be a planet in my heart.
  • SEN5241, on 08/19/2008, -0/+8Link to larger image of its orbit:
    http://www.astronomy.ohio-state.edu/~dhw/SDSS08/sq ...
  • Jaime2000, on 08/19/2008, -0/+6I thought we were calling them dwarf planets now?
  • Anakashar, on 08/19/2008, -1/+6I didn't want to brag about it to all of Digg, geez..
  • doublefelix, on 08/19/2008, -0/+5Dwarf Planet > Minor Planet
  • DesdinovaEL, on 08/19/2008, -0/+5I'll admit I laughed.
  • cultist667, on 08/19/2008, -1/+6Perfect timing planet x on http://www.coasttocoastam.com/ tonight.

    Author and researcher Andy Lloyd will discuss the scientific evidence for Planet X, and how new discoveries are helping to support the model of Nibiru, as described by Zecharia Sitchin.
  • supermanred, on 08/19/2008, -0/+5Negative, in the mirror world, George W Bush is a US soldier killed in Iraq who was sent there by a rich black man who lives in the Black House, situated in Bronx, New York.... all so the rich black guy could make money on the solar market.
  • ShadowPhoenix11, on 08/19/2008, -0/+5So how many planets do we have in our solar system now?
  • inactive, on 08/19/2008, -0/+4Time to redefine what a planet actually is. Assign them classes if necessary.
  • sg7791, on 08/19/2008, -0/+4You're a Plutoid!
  • georgemason01, on 08/19/2008, -0/+4The white dwarfs raised objections, wanting to avoid any confusion between the two.
  • m0laria, on 08/19/2008, -0/+3Now they're plutoids.
  • AgentMull, on 08/19/2008, -0/+3Aren't these closer to asteroids than planets?
  • chubbybubba, on 08/19/2008, -0/+3In the mirror world George W. can speak english.
  • STKD, on 08/19/2008, -0/+3Space: It's Pretty Big.
  • mtnlion2, on 08/19/2008, -0/+3I'm not sure 50-100 kilometers across really counts as a minor planet, more like a large asteroid.
  • LoudMusic, on 08/19/2008, -0/+2I'm such a dork. I find this more interesting than all the top whatever female Olympian links.
  • SeanRoss, on 08/19/2008, -0/+2how did we miss this "planet" for decades now?
  • UtahApocalyse, on 08/19/2008, -0/+2So is it a planet or a Plutoid?
  • inactive, on 08/19/2008, -0/+2that orbit pic shows that pluto is 'different' from other planets
  • donjuan571, on 08/19/2008, -1/+3Is this Planet X? Or the mythical planet Nibiru perhaps? Such a strange orbit..
  • iamghost, on 08/19/2008, -0/+2just two billion miles...
  • XxModestMousexX, on 08/19/2008, -0/+2This is crazy news, its a shame to think of how many people won't know or care about this.
  • banthis, on 08/19/2008, -2/+42012?

    - Digg me down but read all comments first.
  • Starviper, on 08/19/2008, -0/+2You're a towel!
  • alaric41586, on 08/19/2008, -0/+2I have my own gravity and circle the sun.Am I a planet.
  • atonalpanic, on 08/19/2008, -0/+2Anyone else notice a slight connection to Richard Muller's (et. al) Nemesis Theory? Except the period is smaller, and this is a planet. This discovery is a planet...maybe the next is Nemesis.

    link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nemesis_(star)
  • Conguent, on 08/19/2008, -1/+2Well if it's gonna be a planet, they better come up with a better name. 2006 SQ372 isn't very astromic.

    Yeah that's right. Astromic.
  • samard2002, on 08/19/2008, -0/+1Someone else beat me to the joke, so I respectfully edit my comment.
  • Jhiaxuz, on 08/19/2008, -0/+1"There are much larger objects in our own solar system which would make this yield to any possibility. Ceres as an example." Should be taken out. I was mistaken about something but was too late to edit. :(
  • Jaydude765, on 08/19/2008, -0/+1The time lapse of the object moving: http://www.astronomy.ohio-state.edu/~dhw/SDSS08/sq ...

    For the sharp eyed, under the left most part of the orbit on one frame the is a small blue dot that appears and disappears. Would this be just an artefact or something more interesting, or just a satellite you think?

    Under the '3' in the date '2006-10-23', half way down.
  • robomoo, on 08/19/2008, -0/+1It was discovered in 2006 hence the designation "2006 SQ372".
    This is news as they have found its orbit to be more like a planet's.
  • Sludgehammer, on 08/19/2008, -0/+1I think most people don't (or can't) comprehend just how huge space is. Even our solar system, which on the cosmic scale of things is pretty small, is incomprehensibly huge for a human mind.
  • inactive, on 08/19/2008, -0/+1It is a comet.

    Quote, "However, its orbit never brings it close enough to the sun for it to develop a tail." That is not a planet of any size.

    And Pluto is still a planet. People seem to keep missing the word planet in 'dwarf planet'
  • inactive, on 08/19/2008, -1/+2It still is. geeze.
  • beansy, on 08/19/2008, -0/+1Dugg for Andrew Becker, because he's an astronomical Pimp and I've been pleased to share a few beers with this fine man.
  • tomarocco, on 08/19/2008, -0/+1Minor Planet == Moon
  • zspade, on 08/20/2008, -0/+1... I would say 'you've been waiting for that haven't you?', but you haven't waited at all. I think it's random happenstance that this seems appropriately placed.
  • josepablos, on 08/19/2008, -0/+1welcome to tha hood!
  • SteveLRowe, on 08/19/2008, -0/+1I'm concerned about the impact that the discovery of the planet Persephone, or Rupert will have on astrology. -Gail Andrews

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