ASTR 100Lgx Lecture Notes - Lecture 22: Clyde Tombaugh, Blink Comparator, Inclined Orbit
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He used a blink comparator to compare two images. Also high eccentricity at 15 times the earth"s, ranges from 30 to 50 au. The search for planet x started by percival lowell in 1905. It was found to be 6 degrees away from lowell"s prediction, except . Neptune could explain 98% of uranus"s orbital variation, we had to explain the last 2% Pluto has 0. 2 the diameter of earth but only 0. 002 percent the mass, it"s smaller than our moon. Pluto has the most highly inclined orbit at 17 degrees. Pluto has an atmosphere, but only near perihelion when the methane is heated into gas. Charon, one of pluto"s 5 moons, has an orbit tilted at 61 degrees to pluto"s orbit. Some think pluto is a former moon of neptune, but it having charon makes that less likely. It"s now considered a plutino rather than a dwarf planet.
