Eris
Authors: ASE Tech Team
Eris is a dwarf planet that has one moon orbiting it, Dysnomia.
Concordance, Etymology, History
Eris was discovered by teams from the United States (led by Mike Brown) using sky imagery data captured in late 2003
In 2006, Eris was classified as a dwarf planet by IAU.
Origin of Constellation
When first discovered, this object bore the provisional designation 2003 UB313 and was nicknamed "Xena" (a television warrior princess character) by its discovery team.
After its status was downgraded, the object was officially named Eris in September 2006. The name is derived from Greek mythology—specifically, the goddess of strife, chaos, and discord—and was chosen as a symbol because its discovery had sparked a debate among astronomers worldwide regarding the definition of a planet.
Transfer and Transformation of the Constellation
IAU Nomenclature
The discovery of Eris made astronomers realize that there were potentially hundreds of Pluto-like objects out there. This realization prompted the IAU to establish a definition of a "planet" on August 24, 2006. Because Eris (and Pluto) failed to "clear its orbital neighborhood" of other objects beyond Neptune, both were officially classified into a new category: Dwarf Planet.
Mythology
no mythology
Weblinks
References
- References (general)
