Astronomers who recently discovered the so-called 10th planet have also found what may be the weirdest object in the solar system: a Pluto-size orbiter shaped like a squashed football. EL61, as it is officially known, is a mass of ice and rock that flops through space with a spin rate far faster than that of any known body its size, making complete rotations around its wide axis every four hours.
"People ask us, 'Are you sure it's rotating that quickly?' " says Yale University astronomer David Rabinowitz. "It's hard to believe. But our data is unambiguous."
Rabinowitz is part of a United States team that reported EL61's discovery one day after an identical announcement by Spanish astronomers. The coincidence is steeped in controversy, with the U.S. team accusing the Spanish team of cribbing their data. But the dispute does not detract from the thrill of the discovery.
The planetoid is ...
