Palomar Find Makes Discovery News Top 10 of the Decade

Discovery News has put out their list of the Top 10 Discoveries of the Decade and their list of Top 10 Space Discoveries of the Decade.

On both lists is the 2005 discovery of the world known as Eris. Knowledge of the existence of Eris, named after the Greek goddess of discord, helped to push Pluto out of the planetary roll call. In 2006, the International Astronomical Union officially proclaimed both Pluto and Eris to be part of a new, non-planet, classification known as "dwarf planets."

The discovery was made using the Palomar Observatory's 48-inch Samuel Oschin Telescope by the team of Mike Brown (Caltech), Chad Trujillo (Gemini Observatory) and David Rabinowitz (Yale).

The discovery was made as a part of survey of the outer solar system using the Palomar QUEST camera and the Samuel Oschin Telescope at the Palomar Observatory.

Update:

HPWREN Helps Palomar Make the List of the Decade's Top 10 Discoveries

See also Ten Science Discoveries That Changed Our Decade and Top ten science stories of the decade from MSNBC.

Dwarf Planets

Three years ago today, Pluto, Ceres and Eris were conferred Dwarf Planet Status by the I.A.U.

Three (Eris, Haumea and Makemake) of the five (a 60% majority!) worlds that have been proclaimed as dwarf planets so far have been discovered at Palomar Observatory by Caltech's Mike Brown and his colleagues. So, as you might imagine, we have a have a special place in our hearts for dwarf planets here at Palomar. You can even buy a squeezable dwarf planet of your very own in the observatory's gift shop.


Back on the serious side, Dr. Brown argues that there should be a whole lot more than just five dwarf planets. Be sure to check out his page on dwarf planets, where he gives a full rundown on what a dwarf planet is (trust me, they are a lot bigger than what I have been showing here) and which other worlds should be added to the list.

I'm Your Moon

The logical followup to my post about the Guitar Nebula is something with actual guitar in it. Thankfully I have a perfect astronomy song to kick off your weekend.

As I mentioned earlier in the week we are coming up on the three year anniversary of the IAU's decision to demote Pluto from planet to dwarf planet.

Shortly after that event Jonathan Coulton wrote this song. He explains it better than I can. So watch and listen to this clip from his DVD BEST. CONCERT. EVER.

I know of lots of love songs that mention our moon, but this is the only one that I know of that was written as one celestial body singing to another. It is really masterful and the most creative thing I know of to come as a result of the IAU's decision. You should enjoy this song no matter which side you are on of the Pluto dwarf planet debate.

Tip of the dome to Jeff P. who alerted me to this.

Eris Anniversary

Four years ago today the discovery of dwarf planet Eris was announced. Eris was found using Palomar's Samuel Oschin Telescope. Of course back then it didn't even have a proper name. Eris helped to push the issue of Pluto's planetary status forward and nearly three years ago the International Astronomical Union (IAU) decided to create the new dwarf planet category and put both Pluto and Eris into to it (along with the asteroid Ceres).

The IAU meets again this summer. While the issue of Pluto may not come up again there, it certainly hasn't gone away. NewScientist has as story Is Pluto a planet after all? that is worth reading if you are interested in this issue.

Also Mike Brown, the discoverer of Eris, has some book reviews on his blog that cover the events related to the whole dwarf planet / Pluto issue. Click on over to see what he has to say about The Pluto Files: The Rise and Fall of America's Favorite Planet by Neil DeGrasse Tyson and The Hunt for Planet X: New Worlds and the Fate of Pluto by Govert Schillng. Both books are on my reading list, but I haven't gotten around to them yet.

Haumea in the News

Dwarf planet Haumea was discovered at Palomar by Mike Brown and his colleagues back in 2003. Earlier this week the Ethiopian Review put out a story on it: The Weirdest Object in the Solar System. Also, Centauri Dreams, the news forum of the Tau Zero Foundation, posted Fast Orbiter to Haumea and Haumea: Technique and Rationale. While you are over there you might also be interested in reading Cryovolcanism on Charon (Pluto's largest moon) which suggests that liquid water volcanoes could still erupt on Charon and another Palomar discovered world Quaoar.

Pluto!

Look at what my daughter pulled out of a cereal box the other day:


Yes, Pluto. Thankfully she gave it to me. It is a great addition to my office.

Pluto has been getting a bad rap since the IAU demoted it from planet to a dwarf planet. It still is a pretty interesting place. If you are interested you should read 10 Things You Don't Know About Pluto from the Bad Astronomy Blog.

If you want to learn more about the world that helped to demote Pluto, you should visit Mike Brown's website on Eris.

Just a couple of weeks after the IAU made their big vote in 2006, Tom Jarrett was observing on the 200-inch Hale Telescope when he photographed Pluto (arrowed) next to a trio of stars that strongly resembles a certain mouse that Pluto the cartoon character is associated with. Coincidence?
For anyone who is looking to learn more about the mythical "Planet X", I strongly recommend this resource.

By the way, today is my 6th anniversary of working here at Palomar Observatory. It has been a good ride so far. I am honored to be here and look forward to continuing to expand our public outreach programs.

Number of Dwarf Planets Climbs to Five

Can you name all five dwarf planets? This week the International Astronomical Union announced the naming of the fifth one. Haumea (pronounced how-MAY-uh).

Although its discovery has been disputed, three of the five named dwarf planets (as sizable majority) have been found here at Palomar using the 48-inch Samuel Oschin Telescope. The graphic above shows the largest worlds that are known to lie beyond Neptune. Six of the eight worlds have been found using the Samuel Oschin Telescope.

The five named dwarf planets are: Ceres, Pluto, Eris, Makemake & Haumea.

The Great Planet Debate

It is a huge understatement to say that there has been some controversy about how astronomers have handled the status of Pluto and the definition of a planet in recent years. The 2006 decision by the International Astronomical Union that defined a planet and created the new term "dwarf planet" confused and angered some members of the general public. Many astronomers were not pleased either.

It has been two years and the controversy has not gone away. It is manifesting itself this week in the form of The Great Planet Debate. Astronomers Mark Sykes, director of the Planetary Science Institute, and Neil deGrasse Tyson, director of the American Museum of Natural History, will square off on Thursday, August 14 from 1:30 to 2:45 p.m. (PDT) in a debate that will be carried live over the Internet. To watch the event you must register online in advance.

Sykes is proposing that our solar system has 13 planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Ceres, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, Charon, Eris, and Makemake), while Tyson, as you might imagine has a different idea (just 8 planets like the IAU put forward). No matter which side of the debate you come in on, this is an interesting time where people can see how the scientific process moves along and how new discoveries can make us re-think our ideas.

And Then There Were Four

The Dwarf Planet roll call has risen from three to four. 2005FY9, discovered at Palomar Observatory on March 31, 2005, has now officially been named Makemake (MAH-kay MAH-kay). There is an excellent essay on its naming from Mike Brown, one of its discovers, over at his blog Mike Brown's Planets.