14 September, 2006

2003-UB313 gets a name.

Dwarf Planet UB313 - the recently discovered distant object, whose discovery touched off the debate which ultimately stripped Pluto of its status as a full-fledged Planet - has now been officially named. The IAU Nomenclature committee yesterday announced the name Eris has been assigned to the object. The single known moon was also given a name, Dysnomia. The assignment of the name Eris is actually rather fitting, since in ancient Greek mythology Eris was the Goddess of discord and strife (according to Homer, it was Eris who set in motion the quarrel that eventually led to the Trojan War). This means that, along with last week's assignment of an asteroid number to the object by the Minor Planet Center, the objects official designation is now 136199 Eris.

Details:
Largest Known Dwarf Planet Gets a Name

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