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Artist's visualization of Sedna

Sedna is a trans-Neptunian object with the minor-planet number 90377. It was discovered on November 14, 2003, by the astronomers Michael Brown, Chad Trujillo, and David Rabinowitz. As of 2023, Sedna is 84 astronomical units (AU) from the Sun, which is almost three times the distance between Neptune and the Sun. Sedna's orbit is an ellipse and its aphelion is approximately 937 AU (140 billion km). For most of its orbital period, Sedna is farther from the Sun than any known dwarf planet candidate of its size. Sedna is one of the reddest objects in the Solar System. It is mostly composed of water, methane, and nitrogen ices with tholins. It may have formed within the same open cluster where the Sun was born as some astronomers suggest that Sedna is a celestial body captured by the Sun from another star system. Brown considers Sedna to be the most important trans-Neptunian object ever discovered, because its unusual orbit may yield information about the origin and early evolution of the Solar System. (Full article...)

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Did you know ...

Field of Wyethia amplexicaulis in bloom

... that the scenic fields of northern wyethia (pictured) found in the western United States are sometimes a sign that an area has been overgrazed?
... that the Data Colada bloggers drew attention to the replication crisis by exposing faulty social science research?
... that the FBS college football player Tre Harris set his school's single-game record for most receiving touchdowns in his debut?
... that a 1950s album of frog calls developed a cult following?
... that historically, native mercury was extracted from rocks mined in Idrija by washing them in the stream Nikova?
... that some of the optics for the James Webb Space Telescope were made at the NETPark science park in northern England?
... that professor Ruth Ann Davis made the largest ever single contribution to Potomac State College of West Virginia University to support nursing scholarships in memory of her mother?
... that cross-site leaks can be used to gain information about your web browsing habits?

In the news

Ryan Blaney

In the Myanmar civil war, opposition forces capture multiple cities in a major offensive against the ruling military junta.
In stock car racing, Ryan Blaney (pictured) wins the NASCAR Cup Series championship.
In baseball, the Hanshin Tigers defeat the Orix Buffaloes to win the Japan Series.
An earthquake strikes Karnali Province, Nepal, leaving more than 150 people dead.

On this day

November 14: World Diabetes Day; Dobruja Day in Romania

Great Comet of 1680 over Rotterdam

1680 – German astronomer Gottfried Kirch discovered the Great Comet of 1680 (pictured), the first comet to be discovered by telescope.
1941 – World War II: German troops, aided by local auxiliaries, murdered nine thousand residents of the Słonim Ghetto in a single day.
1960 – Ruby Bridges and the McDonogh Three became the first black children to attend an all-white elementary school in Louisiana as part of the New Orleans school desegregation crisis.
1991 – Croatian War of Independence: Croatian naval commandos attacked the Yugoslav patrol boat Mukos, starting the Battle of the Dalmatian Channels.
2015 – A train derailed in Eckwersheim, France, while performing trials on the high-speed rail line LGV Est.

William Ames (d. 1633)
John Abercrombie (d. 1844)
Valerie Jarrett (b. 1956)
Thinzar Shunlei Yi (b. 1991)

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Today's featured picture

The pied kingfisher (Ceryle rudis) is a species of water kingfisher widely distributed across Africa and Asia. Originally described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758, it has five recognised subspecies. Its black and white plumage and crest, as well as its habit of hovering over clear lakes and rivers before diving for fish, make it distinctive. Males have a double band across the breast, while females have a single broken breast band. They are usually found in pairs or small family groups. When perched, they often bob their head and flick up their tail. This male pied kingfisher of the subspecies C. r. leucomelanurus was photographed by the Chambal River in Uttar Pradesh, India.

Photograph credit: Charles J. Sharp

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