Strange Object Found Traveling in Space

[CyberGuy]

Strange Object Found Traveling in Space

Astronomers are scratching their heads at this one. Way beyond Pluto, a large object has been found traveling in an unusual orbit tilted by 47 degrees to most other bodies in the solar system, reports New Scientist. No one can figure out why the mystery object, which is following an almost circular path, is so far off-kilter.

The finding was made by researchers at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada in December 2004. Since then, they have made follow-up observations that showed the puzzling path of the object they have named 2004 XR190. They can tell it is about half as wide as Pluto and lies in a vast ring of icy bodies beyond Neptune in the Kuiper Belt, notes New Scientist. Most of the objects here orbit in the same plane as Earth, but not this one; it's one of the most tilted space objects in the Kuiper Belt.

The team, led by Lynne Allen, knows that the object's orbit is too circular and small to have been tilted by a passing star. The mystery has caused them to give 2004 XR190 the nickname "Buffy," named after the lead character in the old TV series about a vampire slayer. "Maybe Buffy is going to be a bit of a theory slayer," Allen told New Scientist.