Sunday, April 16, 2006
"The Scientist" by Cold Play
Come up to meet you, tell you I'm sorry
You don't know how lovely you are
I had to find you, tell you I need you
Tell you I set you apart
Tell me your secrets, and ask me your questions
Oh let's go back to the start
Running in circles, coming up tails
Heads on a science apart
Nobody said it was easy
Oh it's such a shame for us to part
Nobody said it was easy
No one ever said that it would be this hard
Oh take me back to the start
I was just guessing at numbers and figures
Pulling the puzzles apart
Questions of science, science and progress
Do not speak as loud as my heart
Tell me you love me, come back and haunt me
Oh and I rush to the start
Running in circles, chasing our tails
Coming back as we are
Nobody said it was easy
Oh it's such a shame for us to part
Nobody said it was easy
No one ever said it would be so hard
I'm going back to the start
Oh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh (x4)
Scientists: '10th planet' only slightly larger than Pluto
Wednesday, April 12, 2006; Posted: 2:33 p.m. EDT (18:33 GMT)
An artist's concept of 2003 UB313, an icy body that lies beyond the planet Neptune.
LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- An icy ball discovered last year in the outer solar system is only slightly larger than Pluto, casting doubt on previous estimates that the so-called 10th planet was significantly larger, scientists reported Tuesday.
Previous estimates by ground-based telescopes suggested the object known as 2003 UB313 was 30 percent bigger than Pluto.
But the latest measurement by the Hubble Space Telescope has a smaller margin of error and is probably a more accurate estimate, said lead researcher Michael Brown of the California Institute of Technology.
According to Hubble, UB313's diameter measures 1,490 miles (2,397 kilometers), give or take 60 miles (100 kilometers). Pluto is about 1,422 miles (2,288 kilometers) across.
Brown previously reported that UB313 could be up to 2,175 miles (3,500 kilometers) in diameter based on its brightness. He said he was surprised by Hubble's findings, which will be published in an upcoming issue of Astrophysical Journal.
The discovery of UB313, which Brown nicknamed Xena, reinvigorated the debate about what is considered a planet. Some astronomers have questioned whether Pluto should keep its planetary status, while others say UB313 should be the 10th planet because it is bigger than Pluto.
The International Astronomical Union, which oversees the naming of planets, has not taken a stance on the issue.
If it is determined to be the 10th planet, UB313 would be the farthest-known body in the solar system.
Saturday, March 25, 2006
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