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News and Views
Nature 439, 541-542 (2 February 2006) | doi:10.1038/439541a; Published online 1 February 2006
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Postdoctoral Fellow / Research Associate
- Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center/Harvard Medical School
- Boston, MA, USA
30 Doctoral Stipends for Outstanding Young Researchers
- Christian-Albrechts-Universitat zu Kiel
- Kiel, Germany
Solar system: A planet more, a planet less?
Scott S. Sheppard1
Abstract
Further observations of an object dubbed 2003 UB313, which lies beyond Neptune, show that its diameter is around 3,100 kilometres. This makes it larger than Pluto, the smallest 'traditional' Solar System planet.
The number of objects detected in the Solar System beyond the orbit of Neptune — so-called trans-neptunian objects — is increasing rapidly. This is mainly due to large, sensitive digital detectors on telescopes and sophisticated software, running on high-speed computers, that can detect moving objects.
- Scott S. Sheppard is in the Department of Terrestrial Magnetism, Carnegie Institution of Washington, 5241 Broad Branch Road NW, Washington, DC 20015, USA.
Email: sheppard@dtm.ciw.edu
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