Newly discoveredminor planet 2001 KX76 is circled in the top panelabove, a recent composite image from the European SouthernObservatory's 2.2 meter telescope a La Silla, Chile.Though 2001 KX76 appears here as single point of light in anunremarkable star field its orbit has been accurately measured b Astrovirtel,a newly operational "virtual telescope" capable of miningmany years of archival data for previously unrecognized imagesof 2001 KX76.The results show thi minorplanet to be very distant, now orbiting just beyon Pluto and Charon in th realmof the Kuiper Belt.At its distance, apparent brightness, and assuming a reasonablesurface reflectivity 2001KX76 would be 1,200 kilometers or more across -- larger thanthe largest main-bel asteroid, Ceres.In fact, the illustration in the bottom panel graphicallycompares this size estimate to Pluto, Charon, and the largestpreviously know Kuiper Belt objects, indicating the newfoun minor planetis second only to Pluto in diameter.Along with other evidence, the comparison suggest thatPluto and Charon are closely related t KuiperBelt worlds like 2001 KX76.
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