A major new object orbiting the Sun has been discovered beyond Neptune in the shadowy region known as the Kuiper belt.
The object, named 2001 KX76, may be larger than both Pluto鈥檚 moon Charon and Ceres, the largest known asteroid in the solar system.
The Kuiper Belt is thought to contain many left-over remnants from the birth of the solar system. Experts say this latest discovery increases the likelihood of locating objects that may rival Pluto in size.
Advertisement
鈥�2001 KX76 is so exciting because it demonstrates that significant bodies remain to be discovered in the Kuiper Belt,鈥� said Robert Millis, director of Lowell Observatory. 鈥淯ntil the Kuiper Belt has been thoroughly explored, we cannot pretend to know the extent or the content of the Solar System.鈥�
It was discovered through the Deep Ecliptic Survey, a programme to find Kuiper Belt Objects (KBOs) funded by NASA. This includes the Lowell Observatory in Arizona, MIT and the Large Binocular Telescope Observatory, a collaboration of a number of universities.
Reflective mode
The estimated size of KX76 depends on how reflective astronomers assume the object to be. According to one assumption it may be 1270 kilometres (788 miles) in diameter, which is 70 kilometres larger than Charon and considerably bigger than Ceres. NASA鈥檚 Space Infrared Telescope Facility mission will provide more accurate measurements of objects within the Kuiper Belt when it launches in 2002.
2001 KX76 is more than 6.4 billion kilometres from the Sun. Its orbit is inclined 20 degrees with respect to the major planets and is thought to be locked in motion with Neptune鈥檚 orbit, making three orbits of the Sun to Neptune鈥檚 four.
The object has a reddish colour that is characteristic of many objects in the outer edges of the solar system.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not that surprising, but it edges up the size of Kuiper Belt objects,鈥� says Alan Fitzsimmons of the Queen鈥檚 University Astrophysics and Planetary Science Division in Belfast, Northern Ireland. He adds that simulations indicate that other objects similar in size to Pluto are likely to have been formed in the Kuiper Belt.