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Almost Planet X

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Optical and infrared observations of a bright object in the outer Solar System reveal it to be surprisingly large — almost as big as Pluto's moon. It could be the first of many such discoveries.

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Figure 1: The size and surface darkness of the ninth planet Pluto, its moon Charon, and the newly discovered object Varuna, the three largest known members of an ancient belt of icy objects that surround the eight planets closest to the Sun.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physics and Astronomy, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, 86011, Arizona, USA

    S. C. Tegler

  2. Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Oklahoma, Norman, 73019, Oklahoma, USA

    W. Romanishin

Authors
  1. S. C. Tegler
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  2. W. Romanishin
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Tegler, S., Romanishin, W. Almost Planet X. Nature 411, 423–424 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1038/35078164

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