Chad Trujillo. Courtesy photos
By NAU News
A team of astronomers, including Northern Arizona University scientist Chad Trujillo, earlier this week announced their discovery of an object at about 120 astronomical units (AU) from Earth—the farthest observed object in the solar system. One AU represents the distance between the Earth and the Sun, approximately 93 million miles.
Nicknamed “Farout” by the discovery team—and formally designated 2018 VG18 by the International Astronomical Union—the object is pinkish in color and is estimated to be more than 310 miles in diameter, most likely meaning it is large enough to be considered a dwarf planet, like Pluto. The announcement has attracted attention by national media outlets including CNN, NBC News, Space.com and Science.
The team, which is comprised of Trujillo, Scott Sheppard of the Carnegie Institution for Science, and David Tholen of the University of Hawaii, has been searching for Planet X, believed to be on the edge of the solar system, since 2014. In addition to Farout, the team discovered 12 new moons of Jupiter in July as well as an object nicknamed The Goblin in October.
