Far-Off ‘Buffy’ Orbits Sun in Odd Shape, Tilt
A distant object has been spotted circling the sun far beyond Neptune in a strange tilted orbit that is making some astronomers question how the outer reaches of the solar system formed.
Nicknamed Buffy but officially called 2004 XR 190 by the International Astronomical Union, the object -- about half the size of Pluto -- is now about 58 times as far from the sun as Earth and about twice as far from the sun as Neptune.
Its orbit is unusual in that it is nearly circular and at a 47-degree angle to the plane of the solar system, a multinational team of astronomers said Tuesday.
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