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New "Planet" Larger Than Pluto
Thursday, February 02, 2006
A recently discovered solar body has been shown to have a diameter greater than Pluto, sparking new debate over the definition of a "planet".
The new body, 2003 UB313, orbits the sun in the Kuiper Belt. It has now been shown to have a diameter of around 3,000 km which is considerably larger than that of Pluto. This news has resulted in renewed calls for 2003 UB313 to be officially classified as a planet.
An alternative would be to downgrade the status of Pluto. Many people have argued for years that wee Pluto doesn't really deserve to be called a planet. However it is now so ingrained in our culture that to change its status would cause confusion.
The astronomer whose team discovered 2003 U313, Michael Brown, has nicknamed it "Xena".
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