Niku: A ‘Rebellious’ Trans-Neptunian Object
http://www.centauri-dreams.org/?p=36121
We’ve all come to terms with the fact that beyond the orbit of Neptune there exists a large number of objects. These trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs)
substantially altered the almost sedate view of the Solar System that prevailed in the first half of the 20th Century, showing us that far from being
a tame and orderly place of planets, asteroids and comets, we were in a system filled with material left over the the system’s formation. Tame and
orderly became ragged and unkempt, and it was clear that the outer system was a place ripe for discovery.
Pluto was the first TNO to be discovered, all the way back in 1930, but the modern era of trans-Neptunian objects began in 1992 with the discovery of
(15760) 1992 QB, and we can now count over 1750 TNOs, as listed by the Minor Planet Center. Bear in mind that we can divide the entire space occupied
by TNOs into several prominent divisions: the Kuiper Belt, the Oort Cloud, and the scattered disk, with a few outliers like Sedna causing continuing
controversy.