90482 Orcus

Main article: Solar system The process of naming planets and their features is known as planetary nomenclature. All the currently accepted planets in the solar system are named after Roman gods, except for Uranus (named after a Greek god) and the Earth, which was not seen as a planet by the ancients but rather the centre of the universe. The original number of planets was seven: Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. These were all seen as regular "wanderers" in the sky. Developments in Astronomy removed the Sun and the Moon, and added the current ...

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Planet, Planet - Planetary formation, Planet - Within our solar system, Planet - Accepted planets, Planet - Other candidates, Planet - Extrasolar planets, Planet - Brown dwarf planets, Planet - Interstellar planets, Planet - Definition and classification of planets, Planet - Suggested wide definitions, Planet - Suggested narrow definitions, Planet - Further classification

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According to the Talmud, the world will end in the year 2240. If the Jewish account of Creation is true and the world was created in 3761 BC, it will have been 6,000 years since then in 2239. Some people believe this is when the world will end. ...

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23rd century, 23rd century - Astronomical predictions for the 23rd century, 23rd century - Millennial Anniversary, 23rd century - Quincentennials, 23rd century - Religious Predictions, 23rd century - Science fiction set in the 23rd century, 23rd century - Literature, 23rd century - Television and film, 23rd century - Games, 23rd century - Decades and years

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The largest moons in the solar system (those bigger than about 3000 km across) are Earth's Moon, Jupiter's Galilean moons Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto, Saturn's moon Titan, and Neptune's captured moon Triton. For smaller moons see the articles on the appropriate planet. The following is a comparative table classifying the moons of the solar system by diameter. The column on the right includes some notable planets, asteroids and Kuiper belt objects for comparison. Europa Iapetus Dione Tethys Titania Oberon Umbriel Ariel 90482 Or ...

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Natural satellite, Natural satellite - Origin, Natural satellite - Orbital characteristics, Natural satellite - Moons of the Solar system

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Pluto has three known natural satellites: Charon, first identified in 1978, and two smaller, as yet unnamed moons discovered in 2005. Pluto - Charon. The Pluto-Charon system is noteworthy for being the only planet/moon system in the solar system whose barycenter lies above the planet's surface, thus prompting some astronomers to label it a double planet (a term complicated by the discovery of two more Plutonian moons). The Pluto-Charon system is also unusual among planetary systems in that they are tidally locked to each other: Charon always presents the same face to Pluto, and Pluto also a ...

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Pluto, Pluto - Discovery and naming, Pluto - Orbit, Pluto - Physical characteristics, Pluto - Mass and size, Pluto - Atmosphere, Pluto - Appearance, Pluto - Pluto's moons, Pluto - Charon, Pluto - The outer moons, Pluto - Exploration of Pluto, Pluto - The Pluto debate, Pluto - Planet X?, Pluto - Minor planet?, Pluto - New discoveries, Pluto - Pluto in popular culture

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The object currently has the provisional designation 2003 UB313, granted automatically according to the IAU's naming protocols for minor planets. The next step in the object's identification will be the external verification of its orbit and assignment of a permanent designation number. Should 2003 UB313 be treated as any other minor planet, its discoverers will then have the exclusive right to propose a name during a ten year window that begins with its permanent numbering, subject to the approval of the Committee on S ...

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2003 UB313, 2003 UB313 - Discovery, 2003 UB313 - Classification, 2003 UB313 - Name, 2003 UB313 - Orbit, 2003 UB313 - Size, 2003 UB313 - Surface, 2003 UB313 - Moon

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More than 75 years after its discovery, many facts about Pluto remain unknown, mainly due to the fact that it is the only planet that has not been visited by human spacecraft and that it is too far away for in-depth investigations with telescopes from earth. What is known are the few physical properties listed below. Pluto - Mass and size. Pluto is not only smaller and much less massive than every other planet, but at less than 0.2 lunar masses it is also smaller and less massive than seven moons: Ganymede ...

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Pluto, Pluto - Discovery and naming, Pluto - Orbit, Pluto - Physical characteristics, Pluto - Mass and size, Pluto - Atmosphere, Pluto - Appearance, Pluto - Pluto's moons, Pluto - Charon, Pluto - The outer moons, Pluto - Exploration of Pluto, Pluto - The Pluto debate, Pluto - Planet X?, Pluto - Minor planet?, Pluto - New discoveries, Pluto - Pluto in popular culture

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Little is known about Pluto because of its great distance from Earth and because no exploratory spacecraft have visited Pluto yet. The Voyager 1 probe was originally intended to visit Pluto, but due to budget cuts and lack of interest — before the discovery of Pluto's moon, size, and atmosphere — the flyby was scrapped in order to facilitate a close flyby of Saturn's moon Titan. The first spacecraft to visit Pluto will be NASA's New Horizons, a mission led by the Southwest Research Institute and ...

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Pluto, Pluto - Discovery and naming, Pluto - Orbit, Pluto - Physical characteristics, Pluto - Mass and size, Pluto - Atmosphere, Pluto - Appearance, Pluto - Pluto's moons, Pluto - Charon, Pluto - The outer moons, Pluto - Exploration of Pluto, Pluto - The Pluto debate, Pluto - Planet X?, Pluto - Minor planet?, Pluto - New discoveries, Pluto - Pluto in popular culture

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Pluto's orbit is unlike those of the other planets. It is highly inclined above the plane of the ecliptic, and highly eccentric (non-circular). The eccentricity of its orbit is such that it crosses the orbit of Neptune, and making Pluto only the eighth-most distant planet from the Sun for part of each orbit; the most recent occurrence of this phenomenon lasted from February 7, 1979 through February 11, 1999. Mathematical calculations indicate that the previous occurrence only lasted fourteen years from July 11, 1735 to September 15, 1749. Ho ...

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Pluto, Pluto - Discovery and naming, Pluto - Orbit, Pluto - Physical characteristics, Pluto - Mass and size, Pluto - Atmosphere, Pluto - Appearance, Pluto - Pluto's moons, Pluto - Charon, Pluto - The outer moons, Pluto - Exploration of Pluto, Pluto - The Pluto debate, Pluto - Planet X?, Pluto - Minor planet?, Pluto - New discoveries, Pluto - Pluto in popular culture

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Pluto was discovered by the astronomer Clyde Tombaugh at the Lowell Observatory in Arizona on February 18, 1930 after an extensive search when he compared photographic plates taken on January 23 and 29. After the observatory obtained confirming photographs, the news of the discovery was telegraphed to the Harvard College Observatory on March 13, 1930. The planet was later found on photographs dating back to March 19, 1915. Tombaugh was searching for a "Planet X" to explain discrepancies in the predicted orbit of Neptune. It is now known these discrepancies were an artifact of the slightly incorre ...

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Pluto, Pluto - Discovery and naming, Pluto - Orbit, Pluto - Physical characteristics, Pluto - Mass and size, Pluto - Atmosphere, Pluto - Appearance, Pluto - Pluto's moons, Pluto - Charon, Pluto - The outer moons, Pluto - Exploration of Pluto, Pluto - The Pluto debate, Pluto - Planet X?, Pluto - Minor planet?, Pluto - New discoveries, Pluto - Pluto in popular culture

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It is not known with certainty how planets are formed. The prevailing theory is that they are formed from those remnants of a nebula that don't condense under gravity to form a protostar. Instead, these remnants become a thin disc of dust and gas revolving around the protostar and begin to condense about local concentrations of mass within the disc. These concentrations become ever more dense until they collapse inward under gravity to form protoplanets. When the protostar has grown such that it ignites to form a star, its solar wind blows a ...

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Planet, Planet - Planetary formation, Planet - Within our solar system, Planet - Accepted planets, Planet - Other candidates, Planet - Extrasolar planets, Planet - Brown dwarf planets, Planet - Interstellar planets, Planet - Definition and classification of planets, Planet - Suggested wide definitions, Planet - Suggested narrow definitions, Planet - Further classification

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Of the 173 extrasolar planets (those outside our solar system) discovered to date (October 2005) most have masses which are about the same or larger than Jupiter's. Exceptions include a number of planets discovered orbiting burned-out star remnants called pulsars, such as PSR B1257+12, the planets orbiting the stars Mu Arae, 55 Cancri and GJ 436 which are approximately Neptune-sized [1], and a planet orbiting Glies ...

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Planet, Planet - Planetary formation, Planet - Within our solar system, Planet - Accepted planets, Planet - Other candidates, Planet - Extrasolar planets, Planet - Brown dwarf planets, Planet - Interstellar planets, Planet - Definition and classification of planets, Planet - Suggested wide definitions, Planet - Suggested narrow definitions, Planet - Further classification

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Ceres was originally named Ceres Ferdinandea after both the mythological figure Ceres (Roman goddess of plants and motherly love) and King Ferdinand III of Sicily (a.k.a. Ferdinand IV of Naples, a.k.a Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies). King Ferdinand was taking refuge in Palermo at the time, the Kingdom of Naples having been conquered by the French in 1798. The "Ferdinandea" part was not acceptable to other nations of the world and was dropped. Ceres was also called Hera for a short time in Germany. The regular adjectival form of the name would be Cererian, although the nonce forms Cerian and Cerea ...

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1 Ceres, 1 Ceres - Name, 1 Ceres - Discovery, 1 Ceres - Physical characteristics, 1 Ceres - Observations, 1 Ceres - Trivia, 1 Ceres - Aspects, 1 Ceres - External link

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Ceres is the largest known asteroid in the asteroid belt, which mostly lies between Mars and Jupiter. However the Kuiper belt is known to contain larger objects, including Pluto, 50000 Quaoar, 90482 Orcus, the recently discovered 2003 UB313, and possibly 90377 Sedna. At certain points in its orbit, Ceres can reach a magnitude of 7.0. This is generally regarded as being just barely too dim to be seen with the naked eye, but under exceptional viewing conditions a very sharp-sighted person may be able to see the asteroid with the naked eye. The only other aste ...

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1 Ceres, 1 Ceres - Name, 1 Ceres - Discovery, 1 Ceres - Physical characteristics, 1 Ceres - Observations, 1 Ceres - Trivia, 1 Ceres - Aspects, 1 Ceres - External link

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The discovery team followed up their initial identification of 2003 UB313 with spectroscopic observations made at the 8 m Gemini North Telescope in Hawaii on January 25, 2005. Infrared light from the object revealed the presence of methane ice, indicating that the surface of 2003 UB313 is rather similar to Pluto, which was the only TNO already known to show the presence of methane. Neptune's moon Triton is probably related to Kuiper Belt objects ...

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2003 UB313, 2003 UB313 - Discovery, 2003 UB313 - Classification, 2003 UB313 - Name, 2003 UB313 - Orbit, 2003 UB313 - Size, 2003 UB313 - Surface, 2003 UB313 - Moon

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The total mass of the 2003 EL61 system can be determined from the orbits of its satellites by Kepler's third law. It turns out to be 4.2×1021 kg, 28% the mass of the Plutonian system. If 2003 EL61 were an ordinary body, its size could only be guessed at. However, it rotates extremely rapidly, faster than any known body larger than 100 km in diameter, and this rotation should distort its shape into an oblate spheroid. Indeed, 2003 EL61 displays large fluctuations in brightness. Although thes ...

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2003 EL61, 2003 EL61 - Discovery controversy, 2003 EL61 - Size and composition, 2003 EL61 - Orbit, 2003 EL61 - Moons, 2003 EL61 - S/2005 2003 EL₆₁ 1, 2003 EL61 - S/2005 2003 EL₆₁ 2

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The 23rd century will see some very important quincentennials, or 500th anniversaries. These will include: 2256: Birth of Wolfgang Mozart. 2276: American Independence. 2291: Enactment of the Bill of Rights and passing away of Wolfgang Mozart. ...

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23rd century, 23rd century - Astronomical predictions for the 23rd century, 23rd century - Millennial Anniversary, 23rd century - Quincentennials, 23rd century - Religious Predictions, 23rd century - Science fiction set in the 23rd century, 23rd century - Literature, 23rd century - Television and film, 23rd century - Computer games, 23rd century - Arcade and console games, 23rd century - Decades and years

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The brightness of a solar system object depends both on its size and the amount of light it reflects (its albedo). If the distance to an object and its albedo are both known, its radius can easily be determined from its apparent magnitude, with a higher albedo implying a smaller radius. Currently, the albedo of 2003 UB313 is unknown, and so its true size cannot yet be determined. However, astronomers have calculated that even if it reflected all the light it receives (corresponding to the maximum albedo of 1.0 or 100%), it would s ...

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2003 UB313, 2003 UB313 - Discovery, 2003 UB313 - Classification, 2003 UB313 - Name, 2003 UB313 - Orbit, 2003 UB313 - Size, 2003 UB313 - Surface, 2003 UB313 - Moon

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2003 UB313 has an orbital period of 557 years, and currently lies at almost its maximum possible distance from the Sun (aphelion). It is currently the most distant known solar system object from the Sun at a distance of 97 astronomical units, although about forty known TNOs (most notably 2000 OO67 and Sedna), while currently closer to the Sun than 2003 UB313, have greater See also:

2003 UB313, 2003 UB313 - Discovery, 2003 UB313 - Classification, 2003 UB313 - Name, 2003 UB313 - Orbit, 2003 UB313 - Size, 2003 UB313 - Surface, 2003 UB313 - Moon

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Some notable observation milestones for Ceres include: An occultation of a star by Ceres was observed in Mexico, Florida and across the Caribbean on November 13, 1984. Features on Ceres' surface have been telescopically imaged several times in recent years. These include: Ultraviolet Hubble Space Telescope images with 50 km resolution taken in 1995 [8] [13]. Visible images with 60 km resolution taken with the Keck telescope in 2002 using adaptive optics [9]. Link to images here. The best resolution to date (30 km) visible light images using Hubble again ...

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1 Ceres, 1 Ceres - Name, 1 Ceres - Discovery, 1 Ceres - Physical characteristics, 1 Ceres - Observations, 1 Ceres - Trivia, 1 Ceres - Aspects, 1 Ceres - External link

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2003 UB313 is classified as a scattered disk object (SDO), a category of TNO which are believed to have been "scattered" from the Kuiper belt and into more distant and unusual orbits following gravitational interactions with Neptune as the solar system was forming. Although its high orbital inclination is unusual among the current known SDOs, theoretical models suggest that objects which were originally near the inner edge of the Kuiper belt are scattered into orbits with higher inclinations than objects from the outer belt. Inner ...

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2003 UB313, 2003 UB313 - Discovery, 2003 UB313 - Classification, 2003 UB313 - Name, 2003 UB313 - Orbit, 2003 UB313 - Size, 2003 UB313 - Surface, 2003 UB313 - Moon

Read more here: » 2003 UB313: Encyclopedia II - 2003 UB313 - Classification

According to the Talmud, the world will end in the year 2240. If the Jewish account of Creation is true and the world was created in 3761 BC, it will have been 6,000 years since then in 2239. Some people believe this is when the world will end. ...

See also:

23rd century, 23rd century - Astronomical predictions for the 23rd century, 23rd century - Millennial Anniversary, 23rd century - Quincentennials, 23rd century - Religious Predictions, 23rd century - Science fiction set in the 23rd century, 23rd century - Literature, 23rd century - Television and film, 23rd century - Computer games, 23rd century - Arcade and console games, 23rd century - Decades and years

Read more here: » 23rd century: Encyclopedia II - 23rd century - Religious Predictions