Another planet in the Solar System

1993/01/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Astronomia

It orbits six billion kilometers from the Sun, at the limits of the last planet, Pluto. This small planet was first detected on August 30 last year by David Jewet and Janet Luu, astronomers at the University of Hawaii. The newly detected planet is currently called 1992 QB1.

The two astronomers cited, looking with a 2.2-metre telescope on Mount Mauna Kea, observed in the constellation of Pisces a reddish mark. Realizing that it was moving very slowly over the next two nights, they thought it could be a small distant planet. It was of magnitude 23 (very small in reality, six million times smaller than what the human eye can perceive without amplifying with light) and therefore did not detect it before.

Since then, astronomer Brian Marsden has solidified the planet's trajectory and taken photos. 1992 They asked if the planet QB1 is not a comet, but as the brightness persists, they are in negative. Analyzing this brightness, they say that the planet is 200 kilometers in diameter and is covered with reddish remains of organic material. For this small planet, which rotates on the border of the Solar System, a more poetic name is being given than it has now. Smiley is the name of John Le Carre's famous Roman spy.