23 ago 2004

Unique moon may partner Sedna

New Scientist

The mystery surrounding Sedna - the most distant object ever seen in the Solar System - deepened as astronomers calculated that the planetoid's "missing" moon must belong to an entirely new class of celestial object, and is possibly the darkest body in the Solar System.

When Sedna was spotted in November 2003 it was the largest object found since the discovery of Pluto. It has puzzled astronomers because it rotates just once every 20 days. Slow rotation usually indicates the presence of a moon, which would put a brake on the planetoid's rotation by exerting tidal forces on it.

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