new planet Xena has a moon - Gabrielle

[tocqueville]

Scientists Discover 10th Planet's Moon By ALICIA CHANG, AP Science Writer
1 hour, 5 minutes ago

LOS ANGELES - The astronomers who claim to have discovered the 10th planet in the solar system have another intriguing announcement: It has a moon.

While observing the new, so-called planet from Hawaii last month, a team of astronomers led by Michael Brown of the California Institute of Technology spotted a faint object trailing next to it. Because it was moving, astronomers ruled it was a moon and not a background star, which is stationary.

The moon discovery is important because it can help scientists determine the new planet's mass. In July, Brown announced the discovery of an icy, rocky object larger than Pluto in the Kuiper Belt, a disc of icy bodies beyond Neptune. Brown labeled the object a planet and nicknamed it Xena after the lead character in the former TV series "Xena: Warrior Princess." The moon was nicknamed Gabrielle, after Xena's faithful traveling sidekick.

By determining the moon's distance and orbit around Xena, scientists can calculate how heavy Xena is. For example, the faster a moon goes around a planet, the more massive a planet is.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051002/ap_on_sc/new_planet_moon

[xultar]

1. Here's the real Xena...

[dhinojosa]

2. How awesome is that? Recommended......

haha.

[Ikonoklast]

3. I don't even know where to start on this one

But someone has a great sense of humor.

[ret5hd]

4. MY question is...

WHO'S gonna update the astrological charts?

No wonder mine's always wrong!

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

5. Maybe the 11th planet and moon can be named Beavis and Butthead

depending upon whether the discoverer was a fan of the show. If he's a Republican, maybe he can name them planet Chimp and its satellite Poodle.

[Qibing Zero]

8. Seriously...

At least the Roman Mythology names had some base to them, even if they should have been the Greek ones (with the Roman ones used as moons instead). ;)

[Throckmorton]

6. Wow, a planet named after a cheesy TV series.

who would have believed it possible?

Sounds Like an Onion story to me.

[Qibing Zero]

7. Oh man...

Both my brother's pets are named those names, for that very reason.

His cat is Xena, and his hamster is Gabrielle.

[ECH1969]

9. I Love Xena

[meow mix]

10. not suprising its bigger than pluto (dont forget santa and..

easter-bunny.. the other recent finds.

xena (25 percent bigger than pluto?) and easter bunny are MUCH like pluto.