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Just saw this article here about it being announced on 20 July of this year, 2011!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S/2011_P_1
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S/2011_P_1
Drakkith said:Just saw this article here about it being announced on 20 July of this year, 2011!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S/2011_P_1
qraal said:Who'd've thought that old dog Pluto would have another pup!
Disconnected said:That's pretty cool. With all the photos of distant nebulas and galaxies, I think it is rad that something new, even if it's just a moon, can be discovered so (relatively) close. I kinda assumed there wasn't really anything left to discover in our solar system.
Disconnected said:Yeah, it kinda blew my mind when I found out about the dwarf planets and such (like 8 months ago). Excuse the naive post, I'm kinda out of my field here. I felt a little silly about posting this, then going on to read the threads about the trojan asteroid etc. It's all cool stuff, make me wish I had taken some astro classes.
Drakkith said:Wikipedia is my friend lol.
Strong work. You definitely seem to have an excellent understanding.I've never taken a college physics, astronomy, or other science class and I think I have a good understanding of science in general.
Yerp, my thoughts exactly.Hurkyl said:Wait a minute, there are already two other moons?!
The discovery of a new moon for Pluto is significant because it adds to our understanding of the dwarf planet and its formation. It also raises questions about the origin of the moon and its relationship to Pluto's other moons.
The new moon of Pluto, named "P4", was discovered by a team of researchers using images from the Hubble Space Telescope. The moon was first observed in 2011 and its existence was confirmed in 2012.
The new moon of Pluto is officially named "P4", but it has also been nicknamed "Kerberos" by the team of researchers who discovered it. This name comes from Greek mythology and is the name of the three-headed dog that guarded the entrance to the underworld.
The new moon of Pluto, "P4", is estimated to be about 13-34 kilometers in diameter. This makes it significantly smaller than Pluto's other known moons, Charon, Nix, and Hydra, which range from 32-1,200 kilometers in diameter.
The composition of Pluto's new moon, "P4", is currently unknown. It is believed to be made of a mixture of ice and rock, similar to other objects in the Kuiper Belt. Further studies and observations may provide more information about the moon's composition.