Scientists announced today that they have discovered a tenth planet in our solar system. Here is a link to the CNN story.

http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/space/07/30/new.planet/index.html

The planet is larger than pluto, and is orbiting at 45 degrees out of the plane of the other planets orbits. This is a major discovery and could explain many of the anomolies in the orbits of the outer planets.

They should just call it Planet X...

Then we'd be sure to find aliens on it....

Originally posted by Blibblob
They should just call it Planet X...
No, they should call it Rupert.

Here is a link to the original announcement of the discovery. It has more details than the CNN story.

http://pr.caltech.edu/media/Press_Releases/PR12724.html

Apparently the lower limit of the size is 1.5 times as big as Pluto, and it probably is somewhat bigger than that. It is also very far away, considerably farther out than Pluto. I wonder how soon NASA will get a mission going to there.

Originally posted by Imagineer
I wonder how soon NASA will get a mission going to there.
As soon as they can figure out how to track, in realtime, every molecule of foam on whatever they send out there.

They also need to figure out how not to hit birds.

Its amazing how that planet takes over 5 centuries to orbit the sun. I'll bet that there are dozens more out there that are probably even bigger than this one is that orbit on an even higher eliptical plane.

It may well be an interstellar wanderer that was captured at some point. Either that or it was subject to a very interesting interaction with another body. At the very least, it extends the edge of the solar system considerably and adds to the places we ought to look for planets. I really think we ought to send a probe there, because whatever we find is bound to be interesting.

our fascist solar system ruled by GW Bush is holding it against its will. as soon as a democrat gets in it will released to wander freely again under the rights guarenteed it in the bill of rights

LMAO!