[meteorite-list] Fourth Dwarf Planet Named Makemake

From: lebofsky at lpl.arizona.edu <lebofsky_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Mon, 21 Jul 2008 17:52:52 -0700 (MST)
Message-ID: <51379.71.226.60.25.1216687972.squirrel_at_timber.lpl.arizona.edu>

This is the first time, as far as I can tell, that an IAU press release
actually says that plutoids are a subset of dwarf planets. If you ask the
right people (and refer back to the original defining of dwarf planets),
in the IAU resolution, it states that: "An IAU process will be established
to select a name for this category.? They did this with the creation of
plutoids, but never referred back to the original resolution, and never
actually said that plutoids were transneptunian dwarf planets.

Now, this is officially stated.

However, when the term plutoid was announced, it stated that ALL objects
brighter than a certain level (implying size) were to be defined as
plutoids, and that implies there are about 40 other known plutoids, not
just 4. Are they backing down on this until they have more information on
these other objects?

Larry


On Mon, July 21, 2008 5:31 pm, Ron Baalke wrote:
>

>
> International Astronomical Union
> Paris, France
>
>
> For more information, please contact:
>
>
> Dr. Edward L.G. Bowell
> IAU Division III President
> Lowell Observatory, USA
> Tel: +1-928-774-3358
>
>
> Mike Brown
> Professor of Planetary Astronomy
> California Institute of Technology
> Phone: +1-626-395-8423
>
>
> Lars Lindberg Christensen
> IAU Press Officer
> ESA/Hubble, Garching, Germany
> Phone: +49-89-32-00-63-06
>
>
> Jul 19, 2008
>
>
> News Release: IAU0806
>
>
> Fourth dwarf planet named Makemake
>
>
> The International Astronomical Union (IAU) has given the name Makemake to
> the newest member of the family of dwarf planets -- the object formerly
> known as 2005 FY9 -- after the Polynesian creator of humanity and the god
> of fertility.
>
> Members of the International Astronomical Union's Committee on Small Body
> Nomenclature (CSBN) and the IAU Working Group for Planetary System
> Nomenclature (WGPSN) have decided to name the newest member of the plutoid
> family Makemake, and have classified it as the fourth dwarf planet in
> our Solar System and the third plutoid.
>
>
> Makemake (pronounced MAH-keh MAH-keh) is one of the largest objects known
> in the outer Solar System and is just slightly smaller and dimmer than
> Pluto,
> its fellow plutoid. The dwarf planet is reddish in colour and astronomers
> believe the surface is covered by a layer of frozen methane.
>
> Like other plutoids, Makemake is located in a region beyond Neptune that
> is populated with small Solar System bodies (often referred to as the
> transneptunian region). The object was discovered in 2005 by a team from
> the California Institute of Technology led by Mike Brown and was
> previously known as 2005 FY9 (or unofficially "Easterbunny"). It has the
> IAU Minor
> Planet Center designation (136472). Once the orbit of a small Solar System
> body or candidate dwarf planet is well determined, its provisional
> designation (2005 FY9 in the case of Makemake) is superseded by its
> permanent numerical designation (136472) in the case of Makemake.
>
> The discoverer of a Solar System object has the privilege of suggesting a
> name to the IAU, which judges its suitability. Mike Brown says: "We
> consider the naming of objects in the Solar System very carefully.
> Makemake's surface
> is covered with large amounts of almost pure methane ice, which is
> scientifically fascinating, but really not easily relatable to
> terrestrial mythology. Suddenly, it dawned on me: the island of Rapa Nui.
> Why hadn't I
> thought of this before? I wasn't familiar with the mythology of the island
> so I had to look it up, and I found Makemake, the chief god, the creator
> of humanity, and the god of fertility. I am partial to fertility gods.
> Eris,
> Makemake, and 2003 EL61 were all discovered as my wife was 3-6 months
> pregnant with our daughter. I have the distinct memory of feeling this
> fertile abundance pouring out of the entire Universe. Makemake was part
> of that." WGPSN and CSBN accepted the name Makemake during discussions
> conducted per email.
>
> Makemake holds an important place in the Solar System because it, along
> with Eris and 2003 EL61, was one of the objects whose discovery prompted
> the IAU to reconsider the definition of a planet and to create the new
> group of dwarf planets. Visually, it is the second brightest
> transneptunian object, following after Pluto, and is bright enough to be
> seen through a high-end amateur telescope (a peak magnitude of roughly
> 16.5). Mike Brown explains:
> "The orbit is not particularly strange, but the object itself is big.
> Probably about 2/3 the size of Pluto."
>
>
> The other three dwarf planets are Ceres, Pluto and Eris. However, Ceres
> is not a member of the distinctive plutoid group because its orbit is
> smaller than Neptune's (Ceres is located in the asteroid belt between Mars
> and Jupiter).
>
>
> The word Makemake is Polynesian in origin and is the name of the creator
> of humanity and the god of fertility in the mythology of the South Pacific
> island of Rapa Nui or the Easter Island. He was the chief god of the
> Tangata
> manu bird-man cult and was worshiped in the form of sea birds, which were
> his incarnation. His material symbol was a man with a bird's head.
>
> Notes
>
>
> The IAU is the international astronomical organisation that brings
> together almost 10,000 distinguished astronomers from all nations of the
> world. Its mission is to promote and safeguard the science of astronomy in
> all its aspects through international cooperation. The IAU also serves as
> the internationally recognised authority for assigning designations to
> celestial bodies and the surface features on them. Founded in 1919, the
> IAU is the
> world's largest professional body for astronomers.
>
> Links
>
>
> * Information about Pluto and the other dwarf planets
> http://www.iau.org/public_press/themes/pluto/
> * IAU website
> http://www.iau.org/
> * Scientific paper estimating the size of Makemake
> http://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0702538v1
>
>
> [NOTE: An image supporting this release is available at
> http://www.iau.org/static/archives/images/screen/iau0806a.jpg (107KB) ]
>
>
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Received on Mon 21 Jul 2008 08:52:52 PM PDT