'Eris' Joins Pluto as 'Dwarf Planet' (2nd Choice Name: Lila!)

[Guest guest]

(September 15, 2006): One dwarf planet received a new name on Thursday

from the International Astronomical Union, and another, Pluto, has a

new number.

 

Eris is the new permanent name for the solar body formerly known as

Xena, while Pluto's new number reflects its loss of planetary status.

 

Dr. Michael E. Brown, a professor of planetary astronomy at the

California Institute of Technology who discovered the distant ball of

ice and rock that he nicknamed Xena and that had been designated 2003

UB313, chose the name Eris, after the goddess of discord and strife in

Greek mythology.

 

"It is absolutely the perfect name," Dr. Brown said, given the

continuing discord among astronomers and the public over whether Pluto

should have retained its planetary status.

 

In mythology, Eris ignited discord that led to the Trojan War.

 

"She causes strife by causing arguments among men, by making them

think their opinions are right and everyone else's is wrong," Dr.

Brown said. "It really is just perfect."

 

Pluto, now that it is no longer a planet, has been assigned number

134340 in the catalog of minor planets. In 1999, the Minor Planet

Center at the astronomical union proposed assigning Pluto the number

10000 in the same catalog, to give it dual citizenship as both a

planet and a member of the Kuiper Belt, a ring of icy debris beyond

Neptune. Brian Marsden, director of the center, said the number was

meant as special recognition for Pluto, but he withdrew the idea after

protests from people who saw it as a demotion.

 

But the discovery last year of Eris, which is slightly larger than

Pluto and had been regarded by some as the solar system's 10th planet,

led to the demotion and a minor-planet number after all.

 

Dr. Brown had nicknamed the object Xena after the title character in

the television series "Xena: Warrior Princess" and partly as a nod to

Planet X, a massive planet long theorized to exist in the outer solar

system. Eris now has the catalog number 136199.

 

When Dr. Brown later discovered a moon around Xena, he nicknamed it

Gabrielle, after Xena's sidekick on the television series. The moon is

now officially named Dysnomia, after Eris's daughter, a daemon spirit

of lawlessness. That name is also, in part, a nod to Xena fans. Xena

was played by Lucy Lawless.

 

Eris is actually the second name that Dr. Brown proposed. Immediately

after announcing the discovery in July 2005, Dr. Brown submitted to

the astronomical union the name Lila, a Hindu concept that says the

universe is a playground of the gods.

 

The name was also for his newborn daughter, Lilah. Dr. Brown raised

suspicions that this was his proposed name when he called the Web page

about the body "planetlila," but he said that it was only whimsical

and that he had accidentally misspelled his daughter's name.

 

Dr. Brown said his wife persuaded him to look for another name,

telling him: "What if we have a second child? You'd have to go find

another planet."

 

SOURCE: The New York Times

URL: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/15/science/space/15xena.html

[Guest guest]

Hail Eris!

 

 

http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~tilt/principia/body.html

 

 

 

ZN

 

 

 

, "Devi Bhakta"

<devi_bhakta wrote:

>

> (September 15, 2006): One dwarf planet received a new name on

Thursday

> from the International Astronomical Union, and another, Pluto, has

a

> new number.

>

> Eris is the new permanent name for the solar body formerly known as

> Xena, while Pluto's new number reflects its loss of planetary

status.

>

> Dr. Michael E. Brown, a professor of planetary astronomy at the

> California Institute of Technology who discovered the distant ball

of

> ice and rock that he nicknamed Xena and that had been designated

2003

> UB313, chose the name Eris, after the goddess of discord and

strife in

> Greek mythology.

>

> "It is absolutely the perfect name," Dr. Brown said, given the

> continuing discord among astronomers and the public over whether

Pluto

> should have retained its planetary status.

>

> In mythology, Eris ignited discord that led to the Trojan War.

>

> "She causes strife by causing arguments among men, by making them

> think their opinions are right and everyone else's is wrong," Dr.

> Brown said. "It really is just perfect."

>

> Pluto, now that it is no longer a planet, has been assigned number

> 134340 in the catalog of minor planets. In 1999, the Minor Planet

> Center at the astronomical union proposed assigning Pluto the

number

> 10000 in the same catalog, to give it dual citizenship as both a

> planet and a member of the Kuiper Belt, a ring of icy debris beyond

> Neptune. Brian Marsden, director of the center, said the number was

> meant as special recognition for Pluto, but he withdrew the idea

after

> protests from people who saw it as a demotion.

>

> But the discovery last year of Eris, which is slightly larger than

> Pluto and had been regarded by some as the solar system's 10th

planet,

> led to the demotion and a minor-planet number after all.

>

> Dr. Brown had nicknamed the object Xena after the title character

in

> the television series "Xena: Warrior Princess" and partly as a nod

to

> Planet X, a massive planet long theorized to exist in the outer

solar

> system. Eris now has the catalog number 136199.

>

> When Dr. Brown later discovered a moon around Xena, he nicknamed it

> Gabrielle, after Xena's sidekick on the television series. The

moon is

> now officially named Dysnomia, after Eris's daughter, a daemon

spirit

> of lawlessness. That name is also, in part, a nod to Xena fans.

Xena

> was played by Lucy Lawless.

>

> Eris is actually the second name that Dr. Brown proposed.

Immediately

> after announcing the discovery in July 2005, Dr. Brown submitted to

> the astronomical union the name Lila, a Hindu concept that says the

> universe is a playground of the gods.

>

> The name was also for his newborn daughter, Lilah. Dr. Brown raised

> suspicions that this was his proposed name when he called the Web

page

> about the body "planetlila," but he said that it was only whimsical

> and that he had accidentally misspelled his daughter's name.

>

> Dr. Brown said his wife persuaded him to look for another name,

> telling him: "What if we have a second child? You'd have to go find

> another planet."

>

> SOURCE: The New York Times

> URL: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/15/science/space/15xena.html

>