Scientists have discovered what may be a tenth planet in our solar system.
Astronomers named the new object Quaoar, after the creation myth of the Tongva people who inhabited the Los Angeles area before the arrival of the Spanish and other European settlers.
To the indigenous peoples, Quaoar was the great force of nature that summoned all other things into being.
However, Quaoar is not an official name – at least not yet. In a few months, the International Astronomical Union, astronomy’s governing body, will vote on it.
Translation: some scientist wanted to name it something so he could get a nice triple-word score in Scrabble.
It’s uncertain if this will be recognized as a real planet though. Pluto’s already on the fence, and this object is only half that size. Still, let’s all just hope that the evil Red Lectroids don’t find out that we’ve discovered their hiding place…
