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Scientists discover 10th planet's moon
(AP)
Updated: 2005-10-02 09:11
The newly discovered moon is about 155 miles wide and 60 times fainter than
Xena, the farthest-known object in the solar system. It is currently 9 billion
miles away from the sun, or about three times Pluto's current distance from the
sun.
Scientists believe Xena's moon was formed when Kuiper Belt objects collided
with one another. The Earth's moon formed in a similar way when Earth crashed
into an object the size of Mars.
The moon was first spotted by a 10-meter telescope at the W.M. Keck
Observatory in Hawaii on Sept. 10. Scientists expect to learn more about the
moon's composition during further observations with the Hubble Space Telescope
in November.
Brown planned to submit a paper describing the moon discovery to the
Astrophysical Journal next week. The International Astronomical Union, a group
of scientists responsible for naming planets, is deciding on formal names for
Xena and Gabrielle.
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