A few weeks ago, I wrote about the exciting discovery of a body orbiting our sun at a dizzying 97 astronomical units from the sun, (1 astronomical unit, or AU, is equal to 93 million miles — you do the math).
The object, officially named 2003 UB 313, was dubbed Xena by its discoverers, Caltech astronomers Michael Brown and Chad Trujillo, along with astronomer David Rabinowitz of laceName>YalelaceName> laceType>UniversitylaceType>, after the titular character of the pop television show Xena: Warrior Princess.
As I read the press release, I thought aloud — although no one was really around to hear me — that if this new object had a moon like Pluto does, they'd be silly enough to call it Gabrielle, after Xena's quirky sidekick and, well, "companion."
I laughed at such a ridiculous notion and got down to writing.
Well, be careful what you wish for — or just sarcastically invoke.
Turns out 2003 UB 313 does have a moon. The moonlet was discovered just recently by the same team who initially gleaned Xena out of the void, and they named it . . . Gabrielle.
Observations of the yet-to-be-officially-named moon were short, and only served to prove the tiny dot was not part of the background star field, and was orbiting 2003 UB 313, but the specifics of the orbit, its orbital path, speed or mass have yet to be determined.
More detailed observations of the pair are scheduled for November and December, with some final numbers to be released as soon as January.
What scientists do know about 2003 UB 313 is that it is definitely larger than Pluto, and now, with an addition of a moon, it may help to sway the case for naming 2003 UB 313 a full-fledged planet, instead of just another trans-Neptunian object — its current classification.
But planet Xena? Moon Gabrielle? What would Copernicus think!
Luckily, these names may not be a permanent addition to the stellar cast of classic names we already love.
Call me a purist, but if Xena gets to be a planet — or trans-Neptunian object, to be more specific — then how long before we have Seinfeld or Mulder or even — gasp! — Omorosa illuminating our evening strolls?
