Howdy, Hilmar.

>Too little is known about this far-off asteroids - err, "dwarf planets". But
>the answer is probably "no", there is probably no ring around Pluto,
>Sedna, or Xena.

Personally, I don't think Pluto should be a planet. IMHO, I believe
that Pluto was probably created when "the planet that was the asteroid belt"
was destroyed. This "planet" more than likely was loaded
with water, and when some celestial object nuked it, all that water was
thrown out and about, creating Pluto and Sedna. Either that, or when Mars
got hit by asteroids (created from the destruction of the "planet/asteroid belt"),
its water was ripped away and thrown all over the solar system.


Admittedly, a lot of the water that was in the solar system has been
consumed by Jupiter and the Sun, but I'd be willing to bet that
some bright astrophysicist can calculate most of this out and
at least prove that Mars' water didn't "just vanish" but is still
with us today, only it's in the form of comets and so-called planets,
such as Sedna and Pluto.

Hmmm. I'm wondering if some physicist has tried to calculate the relative
mass of the asteroid belt and calculate the size of the planet that was
probably once there. Also, I wonder if someone has also calculated planetary
orbits based on this therohtical planet. Something tells me -- no way!

I'd also be willing to bet that when the "planet that was the asteroid belt"
got nuked, asteroids bombarded the Earth, and that's the pounding that
created the moon and the Earth's tilt on it's axis.

Anyone care to wager that I'll be proven correct? I bet a free upgrade
to VFP 10, 11, 12... :^)


Randall