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Here’s why he thinks the object is much more worthy of planet status than Pluto.
Pluto killer
One of the most controversial events in the world of astronomy occurred when Pluto was demoted as the official planet in 2006. Now, one of the planetary scientists who lobbied the most fiercely for the demotion of the celestial object says he has found a real planet worthy of recognition.
Caltech astronomer and planet killer Mike Brown claims to have found evidence of a potential planet in the Kuiper Belt about 100 billion kilometers from Earth. reports The daily beast. He explained to the publication that the object is perhaps “six times as massive as Earth and the fifth largest planet in our solar system.”
It’s embarassing
Brown is in the awkward position of being one of the primary catalysts for the controversial radiation of Pluto as a planet. 15 years ago, he appealed to the International Astronomical Union, a leading organization for astronomers and planetologists, to redefine the “planet” after discovering an object in the Kuiper Belt known as the ‘”Eris”.
“After finding out about Eris and realizing that Eris is more massive than Pluto, you have to do something,” he told the BBC in July. Brown was concerned that since there were likely many objects larger than Pluto, this would eventually lead to an overabundance of planets designated as a planet – and so he decided to change that by changing the definition of planet.
The redefinition resulted in the reclassification of Pluto as a dwarf planet. He was also largely unpopular among scientists who, while respecting Brown, disliked the decision.
“He’s wrong about Pluto,” said Alan Stern, NASA New Horizon investigator. The daily beast, later asking, “Do we have eight states in the US so school kids don’t have to memorize all 50?” Are we limiting the number of species?
Joyful
Despite this, Stern and his fellow Caltech astronomer Konstantin Batygin are confident their latest discovery will likely be accepted as a planet without controversy – if it turns out to exist.
“There is gravitational evidence for this,” Batygin told The daily beast. “But the search won’t end until we have a picture in hand.”
We will see anyway. For some reason, we believe there is a distinct possibility that some disgruntled astronomers still hold a grudge against Brown’s murderous past.
READ MORE: Why the universe is bored with the astronomer pushing a ninth planet [The Daily Beast]
More on Pluto: Scientists intrigued by giant red plaques on Pluto
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