Sedna

thumb|right|I was surprised to discover that a good name with an interesting story behind it could lead people to have an emotional connection with an unseen object in space, though perhaps it shouldn’t have been such a revelation to me, given people’s attachment to Pluto. ~ Michael E. Brown Sedna (minor-planet number 90377) is a dwarf planet in the outermost reaches of the Solar System, orbiting the Sun far beyond the orbit of Neptune. It was discovered in 2003 by Michael E. Brown, Chad Trujillo, and David Rabinowitz. Sedna is roughly 1,000 km in diameter. Quotes After Quaoar, I learned an important lesson. Names should be pronounceable. In the end, when it was time for a real name for Dutch, I settled on Sedna. Sedna is simple and easily pronounced, and has a serene sound to it. Michael E. Brown in: How I Killed Pluto and Why It Had It Coming, Random House Publishing Group. p. 103 The name was a hit. I was surprised to discover that a good name with an interesting story behind it could lead people to have an emotional connection with an unseen object in space, though perhaps it shouldn’t have been such a revelation to me, given people’s attachment to Pluto. Quaoar never really caught on, but Sedna struck a nerve. Newspaper headlines proclaimed, “Welcome Sedna!” My mailbox began to be flooded with drawings from schoolkids who crayoned in nice red Sedna in the solar system right after Pluto. Astrologers quickly hit on the story of Sedna to declare that Sedna would herald a new feminine influence over environmental stewardship. Or awareness of child abuse. Though none of the astrologers agreed with one another, they certainly found the name and the story compelling. Michael E. Brown in: How I Killed Pluto and Why It Had It Coming, Random House Publishing Group. p. 105 External links Sedna Sedna (dwarf planet) Mike Brown's Sedna page Category:Dwarf planets