New Planet "Xena" and it's moon is "Gabrielle"

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the new celestial body referred to as "Xena" and its moon "Gabrielle." Participants explore the implications of naming conventions for celestial bodies, the criteria for classifying planets, and the ongoing debate regarding Pluto's status as a planet.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Exploratory

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants state that the new name "Xena" and its moon "Gabrielle" are not official and suggest that the catalog name should be retained until further classification is determined.
  • There is a viewpoint that the classification of "planet" lacks an official scientific definition, and future evidence may not definitively resolve the status of celestial bodies like Pluto.
  • Some argue that while scientists may gain more insights into the formation of these bodies, the debate over their classification has persisted for a long time, leaving uncertainty about future determinations.
  • One participant suggests that if multiple categories of planets are established (e.g., historical, Kuiper belt, terrestrial), Pluto may retain a status as a "Historical Planet" despite not fitting the traditional definition.
  • Several posts reiterate that the names "Xena" and "Gabrielle" are currently informal and not officially recognized by the International Astronomical Union (IAU).

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the classification of celestial bodies, particularly regarding the status of Pluto and the criteria for what constitutes a planet. There is no consensus on these issues, and the discussion remains unresolved.

Contextual Notes

The discussion highlights the lack of an official definition for "planet" and the ongoing debates surrounding the classification of celestial objects, particularly in relation to historical context and evolving scientific understanding.

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What is the name of the new planet found in the universe,and what is the name of its moon.

Thanks.

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The new name of this "planet" is called "Xena" and it's moon is "Gabrielle" personally i think they should've stuck with the catalog name for now until they can determine for sure it is a planet. We will know for sure after the mission to pluto is launched by Nasa in 2012, whether pluto is a planet or not.
 
vincentm said:
The new name of this "planet" is called "Xena" and it's moon is "Gabrielle" personally i think they should've stuck with the catalog name for now until they can determine for sure it is a planet. We will know for sure after the mission to pluto is launched by Nasa in 2012, whether pluto is a planet or not.
What do you mean? There's no official scientific criteria for a "planet", it's not a really a matter that will be settled by new evidence. I guess future research may allow scientists to tell for sure whether these bodies were formed the same way as all the other icy bodies in the Kuiper belt, although I think scientists are already pretty confident they did.
 
JesseM said:
What do you mean? There's no official scientific criteria for a "planet", it's not a really a matter that will be settled by new evidence. I guess future research may allow scientists to tell for sure whether these bodies were formed the same way as all the other icy bodies in the Kuiper belt, although I think scientists are already pretty confident they did.
Wel i think that scientists will be closer to be able to determine if pluto is a planet or a Kuiper belt oject or not or other bodies for that matter. ... but this has been debated for quite sometime now, so who knows how much longer we are from being able to do so.
 
Last edited:
vincentm said:
Wel i think that scientists will be closer to be able to determine if pluto is a planet or a Kuiper belt oject or not or other bodies for that matter.
But what I mean is, there's no official definition that says something can't be both a planet and a Kuiper belt object...
 
vincentm said:
The new name of this "planet" is called "Xena" and it's moon is "Gabrielle" personally i think they should've stuck with the catalog name for now until they can determine for sure it is a planet. We will know for sure after the mission to pluto is launched by Nasa in 2012, whether pluto is a planet or not.

Note that these are just nicknames for now offered by the discovering astronomer. The IAU has not chosen official names yet.
 
Did you see how they may have a lot of planets with defining characteristics?

I.e. historical planet, KB Planet, and Terrestial planet?

If this happens, the objects such as pluto won't be a planet as we think of it, but, it will still be a "Historical Planet" since there is no way it is being removed from the minds of everyone.
 
Note that these are just nicknames for now offered by the discovering astronomer. The IAU has not chosen official names yet.

Thats a relief..lol
 

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