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TJO Newsletter

Winter 2014/Spring 2015 Edition

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Table of Contents:

8 Soon to be 21? 66 Eyes on the Sky: ALMA’s New Perspective By Ryan Wagner…………………pg. 1 By Jason Lozo…………………….pg. 8

The Little Guy Pulls Ahead: M Dwarfs and JWST Checks Out the First Galaxy Exoplanets By Peter Senchyna……….………pg. 10 By Jessica Shank…………………pg. 4 Our Newest Window to the Universe: The (Planetary Nebulae Jets) Amazing LSST By Rebecca Kemmerer…………..pg. 6 By Eric Bochsler…...…………….pg. 12

8 Planets Soon to be 21?

By Ryan Wagner

Figure 1- 8 . Provided by pixelbay.com a copyright free website (a) is in orbit around the , (b) has How many planets are in our Solar sufficient mass for its self- to System? If you said 9 you’d be wrong and if you overcome rigid body forces so that it said 8, you could be wrong in the near future. assumes a hydrostatic equilibrium (nearly Whether you count or not, there could be round) shape, (c) has not cleared the some big changes in store for our solar system. neighbourhood around its orbit, and (d) is not a satellite. In 2006 the International Astronomical 3) All other objects, except satellites, Union (IAU) voted to redefine what a planet is orbiting the Sun shall be referred to (IAU 2006). The IAU is a group of over 9000 collectively as “Small Solar-System members from 96 different countries that Bodies”. (IAU 2006) promote and safeguard the science of astronomy (IAU 2014). The definition of the word planet There are many aspects of this definition that may soon be redefined causing Pluto to, once seem deliberately vague. A Harvard-Smithsonian again, be included along with its siblings. Center for debate in 2014 called Additionally, other scientists may prove the some, if not all, of these descriptions into existence of even more planets lurking in our question. The debate did not have an official say solar systems’ backyard. as to Pluto’s status as a planet, but in a vote cast

The next open session for the IAU is by the attendees, Pluto is a planet. This debate going to be held in Honolulu in August 2015. could call for a reclassification of what a planet is There is a possibility that during this session the and redefine our solar system. The definition may be up for debate. The could also lead to even more objects being current IAU definitions for planetary bodies are: classified as planets such as Pluto’s partner . Other Trans Neptunian Object such as 1) A “planet” is a celestial body that (a) is in Eris, Makemake and many others shown in orbit around the Sun, (b) has sufficient Figure 2 (below) could also fall under a new mass for its self-gravity to overcome rigid classification of planet. body forces so that it assumes a hydrostatic equilibrium (nearly round) With a new definition of “planet” we shape, and (c) has cleared the could wind up with a planet count somewhere in neighbourhood around its orbit. the neighborhood of 19. However according to 2) A “” is a celestial body that Lars Lindberg Christiansen: "There are currently (Jenner 2014) both of which would most likely be finding their way into planethood. This confirmation alone would cause the planet count of our solar system to be 10. Coupling this confirmation with the possible revision of the word planet and there could be a grand total of over 21 planets in our solar system.

It has yet to been seen just how many will make it as planets but there could be some

Figure 2-Illustration of relative sizes, colors and albedos of extensive changes in the near future of our solar the large trans-Neptunian objects. © GNU Free Documentation License system. As even more planets are found around no requests from any astronomers to put this nearby every year (Figure 3) our definition issue on the agenda at the General Assembly" of a planet must change to accommodate these (Rice 2014). findings. Even more planets could enter our textbooks making our solar system a very Even if Pluto doesn’t make the comeback eventful one. many are hoping for, scientists have found possible evidence of an even larger body floating beyond the orbit of Pluto (C. de la Fuente Marcos 2014). According to Nicola Jenner at newscientist.com this body appears to be orbiting at a great distance from Earth. If you were to travel the distance from the Sun to the

Earth and multiply it by 250 you would be in the Figure 3 - Exoplanet Discoveries per year. Provided by ballpark of where this planet lies. Not only is www.nasa.gov this planet presumed to be quite a distance away So break out your pencil and paper and but Jenner also states: “Scientists calculated that start coming up with your mnemonics for the this world would be about 10 times the mass of possible planets in the solar system. It will Earth”(Jenner 2014). A team in Spain says: probably take a lot of work to create something “there may actually be two supersized planets remembered for generations or at least until yet hiding in the outer reaches of our solar system” another planet is found. For more information or to learn more about the December 10, 2014 (www.iau.org/static/./doc/iau0603.doc). topic discussed in this article see: Jenner, Nicola. 2014. “Two giant planets may http://arxiv.org/abs/1406.0715 cruise unseen beyond Pluto.” New Scientist. Retrieved November 30, 2014 http://www.clevelandleader.com/node/23121 (http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn25 711-two-giant-planets-may-cruise-unseen- http://www.techtimes.com/articles/17093/20141 beyond-pluto.html#.VHtwmYvtC3d). 003/yes-no-harvard-astronomers-kick-up-storm- Rice, Doyle. 2014. “Wait, what? Pluto a planet by-claiming-pluto-is-indeed-a-planet.htm again?” USA Today. Retrieved November 30, 2014 http://www.thetimenow.com/astronomy/dwarf- (http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2014 planets.php /10/02/pluto-planet-solar- system/16578959/). http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2014/10/02/ pluto-planet-solar-system/16578959/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2RNGSuFq mro

Sources Cited C. de la Fuente Marcos, R. d. l. F. M. 2014. “Extreme trans-Neptunian objects and the Kozai mechanism: signalling the presence of trans-Plutonian planets.” arxiv.org. Retrieved December 10, 2014 (http://arxiv.org/pdf/1406.0715v2.pdf). Center for Astrophysics. 2014. “Is Pluto a Planet? The Votes Are In.” cfa.harvard.edu. Retrieved December 10, 2014 (http://www.cfa.harvard.edu/news/2014- 25). IAU. 2014. “About the IAU.” http://www.iau.org/. Retrieved December 10, 2014 (http://www.iau.org/about/).

International Astronomical Union. 2006. “Planet Definition - International Astronomical Union.” IAU.org. Retrieved