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Kuiper Object Discoveries Formally Announced

Posted by Zonk on from the i'd-like-you-to-meet-a-giant-space-rock dept.

ewhac writes "The San Francisco Chronicle is reporting that the new Trans-Neptunian objects mentioned in the press earlier this year are being formally announced this week at a planetary conference in Cambridge, England. Bearing the extremely temporary names 'Xena,' 'Santa,' and 'Easterbunny,' the new objects are quite interesting in their own right (Santa is cigar-shaped, rotates end-over-end every four hours, and has a 60-mile-diameter moon). However, even more interesting is the intrigue behind the press conferences revealing Xena earlier this year. It seems that, using the astronomers' own observation logs (publicly available over the Web) and some key details inadvertently revealed in earlier announcements, someone was planning on 'discovering' the objects first and claiming credit. This was why the scientists 'pre-announced' the existence of Xena back in July, to establish priority. The conference in Cambridge represents the first formal, scientific disclosure of the objects."

12 of 126 comments (clear)

  1. Food Factory? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    Maybe one is a Heechee Food Factory! We're saved!

  2. Re:Santa *does* sound rather intriguing. by vespazzari · · Score: 5, Funny

    well, its only that shape when its near venus ;)

    --
    "Alcohol, cause of, and solution to, all of life's problems" -Homer Simpson
  3. Re:Santa *does* sound rather intriguing. by Wilson_6500 · · Score: 4, Funny

    It needs the streamlined shape to make it all the way out there and back in just 354 (Earth) days, not to mention all the hard work it does on the 24th itself.

    It probably evolved into its current shape through some sort of intelligent gravity process.

  4. Bill & Monica... by __aaclcg7560 · · Score: 1, Funny

    A cigar-shaped object with a moon. Too bad it didn't have another moon and following a doughnut-shaped object. :P

    1. Re:Bill & Monica... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      Sometimes a cigar-shaped object is just a cigar-shaped object.

  5. Wait a minute...! by Serko92 · · Score: 3, Funny

    So Santa has a sigar and travels with a companion. I always knew those "Santa" guys from the mall were on to something!

  6. One thing you can say for sure... by graveyhead · · Score: 4, Funny

    One thing you can say for sure now about Xena, Santa, and the Easterbunny is:

    they definitely exist. :)

    --
    std::disclaimer<std::legalese> sig=new std::disclaimer; sig->dump(); delete sig;
  7. For You Marijuana Smokers Out There.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Thats Blunt Shaped Planet!!!

  8. Re:Scien(ce | tology) is great by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny
    Hmm, Xena sounds very much like ... Xenu.

    I, for one, welcome our new Scientology overlords.

  9. Xena? by zephc · · Score: 4, Funny

    "I thought Xena couldn't fly"
    "I told you, I'm not Xena. I'm Lucy Lawless."

    --
    "I would say that 99 per cent of what my father has written about his own life is false." - L. Ron Hubbard Jr.
  10. Re:Santa *does* sound rather intriguing. by SD_92104 · · Score: 3, Funny
    maybe it wasn't formed, maybe it was created.
    Don't we re-write all the text books only after the first version has been finalized?
  11. Re:Cigar Shaped? by flyingsquid · · Score: 3, Funny
    A cigar shaped planetoid, that's awesome!

    I would so love it if someone would name this one "Freud".