Faraway Eris is Pluto's twin: Dwarf planet sized up accurately as it blocks light of faint star
Wednesday, October 26, 2011 - 13:30
in Astronomy & Space
(PhysOrg.com) -- Astronomers have measured the diameter of the dwarf planet Eris by catching it as it passed in front of a faint star. This was seen by telescopes in Chile, including the TRAPPIST telescope at ESO's La Silla Observatory. The observations show that Eris is an almost perfect twin of Pluto in size and appears to be covered in a layer of ice. Results will be published in the Oct. 27 issue of the journal Nature.