Dark Red Spot Found on Kuiper Belt Object Haumae

News Type: Event — Seeded on Fri Nov 6, 2009 2:22 PM EST

Article Source: Technology Review

Unlike all other large Kuiper Belt Objects, which are covered in methane ice and so slightly red in colour, Haumea and its two moons are covered in water ice, giving them a blue tinge. Moreover, Haumea is much denser than water and so must have a rich rocky core. Haumea must be profoundly different to other big Kuiper Belt Objects.

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5.5

2.1

{"commentId":10526354,"authorDomain":"jcatom"}

JCAtom

Lacerda rules out the possibility that the spot is a mountain or valley because that would change the brightness in an easily identifiable way. Instead he speculates on two possibilities. The first is that the spot could be a region on Haumea where the interior is trickling out. Whatever that stuff might be, it is likely to be warmer and therefore redder than water ice. His second idea is that the spot could be the site of a recent impact of a smaller Kuiper Belt Object, most of which are believed to be covered by a red organic materials.

{"commentId":10526354,"threadId":"718496","contentId":"3469267","authorDomain":"jcatom"}

4 votes

#1 - Fri Nov 6, 2009 2:23 PM EST

{"commentId":10526988,"authorDomain":"blayde"}

Blayde

This is very interesting, and it makes Haumae yet another interesting target for a space probe. Each one of these finds, opens another door in our understanding of the Universe but behind each door is another Universe of unanswered questions. The more we understand the Universe, the smaller what we know looks in comparison.

{"commentId":10526988,"threadId":"718496","contentId":"3469267","authorDomain":"blayde"}

4 votes

#2 - Fri Nov 6, 2009 2:45 PM EST

{"commentId":10528857,"authorDomain":"jcatom"}

JCAtom

We open doors to new rooms that have many new windows to look through and many more doors to newer and bigger rooms with bigger windows and bigger doors, etc., etc., etc.

{"commentId":10528857,"threadId":"718496","contentId":"3469267","authorDomain":"jcatom"}

5 votes

#2.1 - Fri Nov 6, 2009 3:53 PM EST

{"commentId":10529228,"authorDomain":"sevenwishes35"}

Schroedingers Cat

Dark Red spot huh? we need a huge syringe on top of our new Ares booster with some powerful antibiotics to cure it.

{"commentId":10529228,"threadId":"718496","contentId":"3469267","authorDomain":"sevenwishes35"}

2 votes

#3 - Fri Nov 6, 2009 4:05 PM EST

{"commentId":10530170,"authorDomain":"beck-doug"}

ozzwald

Just pop it and get it over with....

{"commentId":10530170,"threadId":"718496","contentId":"3469267","authorDomain":"beck-doug"}

3 votes

#4 - Fri Nov 6, 2009 4:41 PM EST

{"commentId":10537483,"authorDomain":"bobnelsonfrance"}

Bob Nelson.

'Nother interesting seed, JC. Thanks!

{"commentId":10537483,"threadId":"718496","contentId":"3469267","authorDomain":"bobnelsonfrance"}

3 votes

#5 - Sat Nov 7, 2009 1:23 AM EST

{"commentId":10538989,"authorDomain":"Decurion505"}

Decurion_505

Water ice and organic compounds, hmm? Sounds promising.

{"commentId":10538989,"threadId":"718496","contentId":"3469267","authorDomain":"Decurion505"}

3 votes

#6 - Sat Nov 7, 2009 8:13 AM EST

{"commentId":10555535,"authorDomain":"hotspice"}

hotspiceDeleted

{"commentId":10556423,"authorDomain":"redshadowlyingdownwithagreenbackground"}

redshadowwithgreenbackground

It is billions of miles from the sun, near absolute zero temperature. Chances of life ae very near zero.

{"commentId":10556423,"threadId":"718496","contentId":"3469267","authorDomain":"redshadowlyingdownwithagreenbackground"}

2 votes

#8 - Sun Nov 8, 2009 9:16 AM EST

{"commentId":10556751,"authorDomain":"hotspice"}

hotspiceDeleted

{"commentId":10556783,"authorDomain":"blayde"}

Blayde

redshadow, I agree but organic precursors do seem to be a possibility. I am somewhat curious about viruses, and if there are any that arive from space, what process leads to the emergence of a virus? Could one form on Jupiter? I suspect that the full process that led to the emergence of live on earth could not have taken place if the earth had always been warm and wet, life seems to need more than a perfect environment to continue to evolve. Let me what you think about this?

{"commentId":10556783,"threadId":"718496","contentId":"3469267","authorDomain":"blayde"}

3 votes

#8.2 - Sun Nov 8, 2009 9:42 AM EST

{"commentId":10557195,"authorDomain":"redshadowlyingdownwithagreenbackground"}

redshadowwithgreenbackground

This must be a divided question. Life as we know it almost certainly could not exist there, it just could not start under those conditions. Life based on other building blocks is of couirse possible but if so we may not even recognize it.

{"commentId":10557195,"threadId":"718496","contentId":"3469267","authorDomain":"redshadowlyingdownwithagreenbackground"}

2 votes

#8.3 - Sun Nov 8, 2009 10:12 AM EST

{"commentId":10557256,"authorDomain":"hotspice"}

hotspiceDeleted

{"commentId":10557676,"authorDomain":"blayde"}

Blayde

This is a bit out there but, probably better viewed as science fiction, one day I was trying to imagine a planet where life took a more direct path to intelligence, perhaps like a layer of interconnected slime that just sat there forever thinking. Obviously not very likely, perhaps some old Star Trek, put that thought in my head. I believe that we will find the mechanism that caused organic chemistry to transition from a simple chemical reaction to life, on the moons of one of the gas giants.

{"commentId":10557676,"threadId":"718496","contentId":"3469267","authorDomain":"blayde"}

3 votes

#8.5 - Sun Nov 8, 2009 10:45 AM EST

{"commentId":10557978,"authorDomain":"hotspice"}

hotspiceDeleted

{"commentId":10648397,"authorDomain":"eriqalan"}

eriq samson

Or, more likely, from the inner stars, clusters (we are way out on th edge of the Milky Way) and then bulk seeded by some process further out and some caught out here, most either died or went further out but some also reached earth very very long ago

{"commentId":10648397,"threadId":"718496","contentId":"3469267","authorDomain":"eriqalan"}

3 votes

#8.7 - Thu Nov 12, 2009 7:23 PM EST

{"commentId":10657106,"authorDomain":"hotspice"}

hotspiceDeleted

{"commentId":10657767,"authorDomain":"hotspice"}

hotspiceDeleted

{"commentId":10652045,"authorDomain":"Decurion505"}

Decurion_505

JCAtom, this is a tad off topic, but do you know of any reliable figures estimating the mass of the Asteroid Belt? I have only come across one actual stated number, but it seems far too effing huge. The stated figure is 3e+1018 mT. My objection here is that the accepted estimate for earth's mass 6e+21 mT. That being given, even if the Belt masses a million times more than the earth the figure would still be only 6e+27 mT. A billion times more = 6e+30 mT. You see my problem?

{"commentId":10652045,"threadId":"718496","contentId":"3469267","authorDomain":"Decurion505"}

2 votes

#9 - Thu Nov 12, 2009 11:40 PM EST

{"canLink":false,"threadId":"718496","isPrivate":false}

JCATOM

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Dark Red Spot Found on Kuiper Belt Object Haumae

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