Explanation:
Has a tenth planet been discovered?
A newly discovered object, designated 2003 UB313 and
located more than twice the distance of Pluto,
is expected to be at least as large as
Pluto
and probably larger, given current measurements.
2003 UB313's dimness and
highly tilted orbit (44 degrees)
prevented it from being discovered sooner.
Many astronomers speculate that numerous
other icy objects
larger than Pluto likely exist in the
Kuiper Belt of the far distant
Solar System.
If so, and if some are found closer in than
2003 UB313,
it may be premature to call
2003 UB313 the tenth planet.
Illustrated above is an
artist's drawing showing how
2003 UB313 might look.
The unusually bright star on the right is the Sun.
Much of the world eagerly await the decision by the
International Astronomical Union
on whether
2003 UB313 will be
designated a planet or given a name without subscripts.
