Giant Kuiper Belt planetoid Sedna may have formed far beyond Pluto

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A large Kuiper Belt object growing by collisions early in the history of the solar system
Recently, astronomers reported the surprising discovery of a very large diameter Kuiper Belt planetoid -- (90377) Sedna -- on a distant, 12,500-year-long, eccentric orbit centered approximately 500 astronomical units from the Sun. Sedna's estimated diameter is about 1,600 km, two-thirds that of Pluto. Initial studies of Sedna's origin have speculated that it might have been ejected from the giant planets region of our solar system far inside the orbit of Pluto, or perhaps was captured from a passing star's Kuiper Belt.


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All News summaries for January 24, 2005

Low voltage current to stimulate growth of coral off South Florida coast

7 hours ago | User rating: not rated yet
The thunderclaps and lightning flashes of Victor Frankenstein's laboratory seem far removed from the sunshine, hotels and snorkelers of the South Florida coast. But the town of Lauderdale-by-the-Sea is pursuing the dream ...

Future of flagship Mars mission up in the air

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(AP) -- Will NASA's flagship mission to Mars fly next year? The space agency could decide as early as Friday whether to cancel, delay or proceed with plans to launch a nuclear-powered, SUV-size rover to the red planet.

As Colorado Heats Up, Water Supply Expected to Be at Risk, Says New Study

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(PhysOrg.com) -- Water resource managers may have to prepare for a warmer Colorado and a shift in the timing of runoff in most of the state's river basins, according to a new assessment of Colorado climate ...

CoRoT discovery challenges the definition of extra-solar planets

9 hours ago | User rating: not rated yet
(PhysOrg.com) -- The CoRoT satellite has discovered a planet-sized object so exotic that astronomers are unsure whether to call it a planet. The object, named CoRoT-Exo-3b, is approximately the same size as ...

MESSENGER Returns Images from Oct. 6 Mercury Fly-By

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MESSENGER is the first mission sent to orbit the planet closest to the sun. On Oct. 6, 2008, at roughly 4:40 a.m. ET, MESSENGER flew by Mercury for the second time this year. During the encounter, the probe ...
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