[Vision2020] 10th Planet Discovered

[Ron Force]

>From the website of one of the discoverers:
http://www.gps.caltech.edu/~mbrown/planetlila/index.html

About the name: The real name of the new planet
[2003UB313] is currently in limbo while committees
decide its fate.... Reports that the name is to be
"Xena" come from a misreading of an article in the
New York Times in which we discuss our internal code
names that we use before we publically announce the
existence of the objects. Other code names have been
"Santa" (2003 EL61), "Rudolph" (the moon of 2003
EL61), "Easterbunny" (2005 FY9) and "Flying Dutchman"
(Sedna), and "Gabrielle" (the moon of 2003 UB313). We
use these names internally simply because they are
easier to say and remember than things like 2003 EL61
or S/2005 (2003 UB313) 1 . There is no chance
whatsoever that these will become the permanent names
of these objects! As soon as the committees make their
decisions these objects will get real names. When we
first announced the existence of these objects we
thought that the real names would be decided in days
to weeks, not months, so it never occured to us that
these code names would last more than a few days. We
hope the committees decide soon so people can start
getting used to the real more dignified names soon!
We have recently discussed the status of the object
and of the name with members of the IAU who decide
such things.

As far as we can determine several
activities are taking place:
* A special committee of the International
Astronomical Union (IAU)is trying to decide precisely
what to classify this as.
* Another committee of the IAU which vets names for
asteroids and Kuiper belt objects is mulling over the
name that we suggested upon discovery.
* Yet another committee of the IAU which approves
names for features on major planets and satellites has
suggested that if the object is declared a major
planet the naming falls strictly to them, and they
have suggested that the name should continue the
Greco-Roman tradition of the previous planets. We have
a couple of interesting choices in mind in that case,
though it is not clear that we as the discoverers will
necessarily have a say in this case.

**********************************************
Ron Force          Moscow ID USA
 rforce at moscow.com
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-----Original Message-----

While the 10th planet, which actually should be the 9th since Pluto was
downgraded, may not have been officially named, it is being referred to as
Xena by the astronomical community, and it’s moon is being referred to as
Gabrielle.



Jerry L. Schutz

Before you can do something, you must be something.
                            - Goethe