The most distant Solar System object, Farout, has lost its crown after just two years. As Inverse reports, astronomers have confirmed that the planetoid Farfarout is now the farthest known Solar System object. It’s currently 132AU, or about 12.3 billion miles from the Sun (Farout is ‘just’ 120AU away), and its elongated orbit will take it 175AU away. For context, Pluto is 34AU from our host star — Farfarout reaches over five times that distance, and takes about 1,000 years to complete an orbit.
Tag Archives: dwarf planet
More Evidence that Pluto Might Have a Subsurface Ocean
When NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft sailed past Pluto in 2015, it captured an image of the dwarf planet’s heart-shaped geography. But while it was there, New Horizons also caught a glimpse of Pluto’s dark side. Continue reading More Evidence that Pluto Might Have a Subsurface Ocean
Extreme Dwarf Planet FarFarOut Could Be the Most Distant Known Object in the Solar System
Just months after discovering FarOut, the most distant known object in the Solar System, the same team of astronomers has detected the faint—but not yet confirmed—glimmerings of an object even farther away. Dubbed FarFarOut, the extreme dwarf planet is 13 billion miles away—a distance so far it takes nearly 20 hours for the Sun’s rays to reach it. Continue reading Extreme Dwarf Planet FarFarOut Could Be the Most Distant Known Object in the Solar System
Our Solar System’s Largest Asteroid Is Covered in Ice Volcanoes
We usually associate volcanoes with extreme heat. But new results demonstrate that the Solar System’s largest asteroid, Ceres, is covered in volcanoes that have spewed ice throughout their history. Continue reading Our Solar System’s Largest Asteroid Is Covered in Ice Volcanoes
Pluto Isn’t the Only Thing New Horizons is Studying
New Horizons has been sending back some incredible information about Pluto, but the Dwarf planet isn’t the only thing it’s been studying. NASA recently noted that the spacecraft’s vantage point is ideal for studying Solar Wind, and it’s been doing just that.
Continue reading Pluto Isn’t the Only Thing New Horizons is Studying
This Is Ceres’ North Pole
NASA’s Dawn spacecraft has spent a month in the shadow of Ceres. But now, the highest resolution images of the dwarf planet to date reveal its north pole.
The Fat Cat Collective 