Poor Pluto. (Space).Is Pluto really a planet? This giant chunk of rock and ice has gotten little respect since its discovery in 1930. A recent discovery is raising more questions about Pluto. California astronomers announced last month that they have identified Quaoar (KWAH-oh-wahr), the largest celestial object to be detected since the discovery of Pluto. Yes, Pluto is a large spherical object that orbits the sun like the other eight planets. But it is also the smallest of the planets--smaller even than the Earth's moon. And Pluto's egg-shaped orbit resembles that of a comet. Quaoar is a ball of ice and rock about 800 miles in diameter, more than half the size of Pluto. It is roughly 4 billion miles from Earth, a billion miles farther out farther out Of or relating to an option contract with a later expiration date than a contract that is currently owned or being considered. For example, a contract with a May expiration date is farther out than a contract with a February expiration date of than Pluto. Quaoar belongs to the Kuiper (KYE-per) Belt, a band of thousands of relatively small chunks of rock and ice that orbit the solar system solar system, the sun and the surrounding planets, natural satellites, dwarf planets, asteroids, meteoroids, and comets that are bound by its gravity. The sun is by far the most massive part of the solar system, containing almost 99.9% of the system's total mass. beyond Neptune. Kuiper Belt Objects (KBOs) like Quaoar may be leftovers from the creation of our solar system, scientists say. "Quaoar definitely hurts the case for Pluto being a planet," says Michael E. Brown Kuiper belt object minor planet, planetoid - any of numerous small celestial bodies that move around the sun rather than an independent planet. Pluto's status is safe for now. But Quaoar could provide more clues about the outer reaches of the universe. |
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