Xena becomes Eris

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Xena becomes Eris:

 

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/09/15/MNGS8L67LJ1.DTL &

hw=Xena+becomes+Eris & sn=001 & sc=1000

 

The dwarf planet formerly known as Xena received a new name Thursday, while

Pluto was given a number to reflect the loss of its status as a planet.

 

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, chose the name Eris, after the goddess of discord

and strife in Greek mythology. The International Astronomical Union made

the name official Thursday.

 

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

really is just perfect. "

 

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

134340 in the catalog of minor planets. In 1999, the astronomical union's

Minor Planet Center had 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 it was meant as special recognition for Pluto,

but the idea was withdrawn after protests from people who saw it as a

demotion.

 

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 minor planet number of Pluto.

 

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

had also been known by its temporary designation 2003 UB313.

 

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

another character on the same television show. The moon is now officially

named Dysnomia, after Eris' daughter, a demon spirit of lawlessness. That

name is also, in part, a nod to Xena fans. Xena was played by Lucy Lawless.

 

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URL:

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2006/09/15/MNGS8L67LJ1.DTL

 

 

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