Access
To read this story in full you will need to login or make a payment (see right).
News and Views
Nature 439, 924-925 (23 February 2006) | doi:10.1038/439924a; Published online 22 February 2006
Open Innovation Challenges
-
Optimizing Sub-cellular Localization Tags
The Seeker is looking for methods to optimize sub-cellular localization tags for protein expression....
-
Direct Molecular Detection of Proteins and Nucleic Acids
This Challenge is looking for novel approaches to protein and nucleic acid detection. This is an Id...
- More Challenges
- Powered by:
nature jobs
Academic Neuropathologist
- University Hospitals Case Medical Center
- Cleveland, Ohio, USA
Chemical Process Engineer
- Praj Matrix - Praj Industries Ltd
- Pune, Maharashtra Pune-411021 India
Planetary science: Pluto's expanding brood
Richard P. Binzel1
Abstract
Pluto is no lone ranger in the farthest expanses of the Solar System — its travelling companions now number three. And if Pluto can have so many, why shouldn't other objects in the distant, icy Kuiper belt?
Once thought to be a solitary denizen of the outer reaches of the Solar System, Pluto — which piqued our curiosity in 1978 with the discovery of its large satellite, Charon1 — is becoming ever more intriguing. In fact, the relative sizes of Pluto and Charon (Charon's diameter of around 1,200 kilometres is just over half that of Pluto's) means they are a 'double planet', orbiting a mutual centre of gravity, or barycentre, outside the surface of Pluto.
- Richard P. Binzel is in the Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA.
Email: rpb@mit.edu
To read this story in full you will need to login or make a payment (see right).
MORE ARTICLES LIKE THIS
These links to content published by NPG are automatically generated.
NEWS AND VIEWS
Planetary science Seeing double in the Kuiper beltNature News and Views (12 Dec 2002)
Planetary science Out on the edgeNature News and Views (11 Jul 2002)
Astronomy Worlds of mutual motionNature News and Views (18 Apr 2002)
Planetary science Double troubleNature News and Views (05 Feb 2004)
See all 6 matches for News And ViewsRESEARCH
Charon's size and an upper limit on its atmosphere from a stellar occultationNature Letters to Editor (05 Jan 2006)
