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Date: 12 Sep 2006 08:12:46
From: Paul Schlyter
Subject: Re: Pluto is now Asteroid #134340
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In article <wWoNg.6480$v%4.818@newsread1.news.pas.earthlink.net >,
robert casey <wa2ise@ix.netcom.com > wrote:
> As mentioned in a circular issued by the Minor Planet Center. See the
> Sky and Telescope web site.
So Pluto became asteroid #134340....
It could have become #10000 instead: in March 1999, when the number of
numbered asteroids approached 10000, Brian Marsden suggested that
Pluto should become #10000. The idea was that Pluto would get dual
status as both planet and asteroid (somewhat like Chiron, which is
both asteroid #2060 Chiron and comet 95P/Chiron). This didn't happen
- instead #10000 became an ordinary asteroid, Myriostos. And Pluto
became asteroid #134340 instead of #10000 ....
And in 1999, "Save Pluto" campaigns also popped up.....
If Pluto had received an asteroid number soon after its discovery, it would
have been asteroid #1164 (approximately)
--
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Paul Schlyter, Grev Turegatan 40, SE-114 38 Stockholm, SWEDEN
e-mail: pausch at stockholm dot bostream dot se
WWW: http://stjarnhimlen.se/
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