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1、BeyondPluto:5thingslefttoexploreinoursolarsystem1.Eris,themostmassiveobjectaftertheeightplanets,andotherKuiperBeltkinNewHorizonsshowedthatPlutoisthelargestobjectintheouterregionofthesolarsystemknownastheKuiperBelt.AKuiperBeltobjectcalledEris,discoveredin2005,waspreviouslythoughttohaveawide
2、rdiameterthanPluto.ThatwasoneofthemainreasonsforPluto'sdemotionfromplanettodwarfplanetin2006.NewHorizonsmeasuredPlutoasbeingtwokilometreswiderthanthought,pushingitpastEris,butthere'smore thanonewaytomeasuresize."Erisiswithoutdoubtthemoremassiveofthetwo,"saysBrettGladman,anastronomerattheUn
3、iversityofBritishColumbiawhostudiesobjectsintheKuiperBelt.Infact,it'sabout25percentmoremassive,probablybecauseit'sdenserandrockierthanPluto.SowemayhavejustvisitedthebiggestobjectintheKuiperBelt."Butwehaven'tbeentothemostmassiveobject."OtherunexploreddwarfplanetsintheKuiperBeltincludeMakema
4、ke,areddishworldthathasfrozennitrogen,ethaneandmethaneonitssurfaceandHaumea,oneofthefastestrotatinglargeobjectsinoursolarsystem,whichhastwoknownmoons.Eris,seeninanartist'sconceptionwithitsmoonDysnomia,isthemostmassiveobjectintheKuiperBeltandhasneverbeenvisited.(Caltech/NASA)2.Smallericywor
5、ldsDwarfplanetsmaynotevenbethemostinterestingobjectsintheKuiperBelt,though.Gladmanthinkswecouldlearnevenmorefromsomeofthesmallericychunksinthatregion– oneofwhichNewHorizonsmayvisitin2018,ifitgetsthefunding.·BeyondPluto,NewHorizonshopestohitanotherKuiperBeltdestination"Plutocanbeseenasthela
6、stplanet(orex-planet),butreallyit'sprettymuchthefirstofawholeswarmofbizarreobjects,"saysPhilStooke,associateprofessorofplanetarygeologyatWesternUniversity."ThesurprisesaboutPlutoareshowingusjusthowbizarrethesethingsare."TheHubbletelescopefoundtwoobjectsintheKuiperBeltthatarepotentiallyreac
7、hablebyNASA’sNewHorizonsspacecraftin2018.(NASA,ESA,andG.Bacon(STScI))3. MysteriousSednaThesolarsystemdoesn'tendwiththeKuiperBelt.In2004,astronomersannouncedthediscoveryofareddish, planet-likeobjectthatnevergetsclosertothesun thanthree billionkilometresoutsidet
