From: TerryMoselaol.com
Date: Mon, 3 Oct 2005 18:52:10 EDT
Subject: Planet 10's Moon, Eclipsed by clouds, WSP, lecture in Dublin
Hi all,
1. Newly discovered 'Planet 10' has a moon! "2003 UB 313", nicknamed 'Xena',
the object generally being referred to as the tenth planet in the solar
system has just been found to have a moon at least one tenth of its size. The
discovery will allow astronomers to determine the mass of both objects.
The new planet was nicknamed Xena after the television warrior princess, and
the moon has been dubbed Gabrielle, after the princess's companion. (Well,
at least it's better than 'Wallace & Gromit'!)
Xena & Gabrielle are currently about 99 AU (Astronomical Units, or the
mean distance from Eartyh to Sun, = 150 million km.) from the Sun, more than
twice as distant as Pluto. The apparent separation between planet and moon is
only 0.5" (arcsecs)!
2. ECLIPSE: What a washout! Just about everybody in Ireland was almost
totally clouded out. At the IAA public eclipse watch in Belfast, we attracted more
attention from the media than from the public! But we saw only two very
brief glimpses, through thin cloud. I missed BOTH of them, as I was doing media
interviews at the time! I can't say I even noticed it getting colder -
probably there was so much cloud that it acted as an insulator!
But Andy McCrea, Pat O'Neill, Terry Murphy etc, got great annular views in
Spain. The rotters!
Sic transit gloria Mundi.... (Well, it made one sick, it was a sort of a
transit, and it was Monday!).
3. Don't forget the one & only Whirlpool Star Party, Dooley's Hotel, Birr,
Co Offaly this W/E - Fri evening to Sun afternoon. Accommodation list appended
at the bottom hereof.
4. The next IAS lecture in Dublin will be on 17 October, by Brian Keane,
President of the IAS, entitled "A Brief History of the Moon". Ely House, 8 Ely
Place, at 8 p.m., Members free, others 2 euro.
Clear skies,
Terry Moseley.
aol.com Date: Mon, 3 Oct 2005 18:52:10 EDT Subject: Planet 10's Moon, Eclipsed by clouds, WSP, lecture in Dublin Hi all, 1. Newly discovered 'Planet 10' has a moon! "2003 UB 313", nicknamed 'Xena', the object generally being referred to as the tenth planet in the solar system has just been found to have a moon at least one tenth of its size. The discovery will allow astronomers to determine the mass of both objects. The new planet was nicknamed Xena after the television warrior princess, and the moon has been dubbed Gabrielle, after the princess's companion. (Well, at least it's better than 'Wallace & Gromit'!) Xena & Gabrielle are currently about 99 AU (Astronomical Units, or the mean distance from Eartyh to Sun, = 150 million km.) from the Sun, more than twice as distant as Pluto. The apparent separation between planet and moon is only 0.5" (arcsecs)! 2. ECLIPSE: What a washout! Just about everybody in Ireland was almost totally clouded out. At the IAA public eclipse watch in Belfast, we attracted more attention from the media than from the public! But we saw only two very brief glimpses, through thin cloud. I missed BOTH of them, as I was doing media interviews at the time! I can't say I even noticed it getting colder - probably there was so much cloud that it acted as an insulator! But Andy McCrea, Pat O'Neill, Terry Murphy etc, got great annular views in Spain. The rotters! Sic transit gloria Mundi.... (Well, it made one sick, it was a sort of a transit, and it was Monday!). 3. Don't forget the one & only Whirlpool Star Party, Dooley's Hotel, Birr, Co Offaly this W/E - Fri evening to Sun afternoon. Accommodation list appended at the bottom hereof. 4. The next IAS lecture in Dublin will be on 17 October, by Brian Keane, President of the IAS, entitled "A Brief History of the Moon". Ely House, 8 Ely Place, at 8 p.m., Members free, others 2 euro. Clear skies, Terry Moseley.
