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Image from the Hubble telescope showing the location of the fifth moon NASA

Hubble telescope spots fifth moon near Pluto

The irregular-shaped moon is less than 23 km wide, according to NASA. No wonder they never spotted it before now…

US ASTRONOMERS HAVE found a fifth moon orbiting far-away Pluto, NASA said today.

The irregular-shaped moon, nicknamed S/2012 for now, is about 10 to 24 kilometers across, the US space agency said.

Last year, astronomers reported finding the fourth moon around the icy dwarf planet some three billion miles away.

“The moons form a series of neatly nested orbits, a bit like Russian dolls,” said Mark Showalter of the SETI Institute in Mountain View, California.

Pluto’s largest moon, Charon, is 648 miles across. The other two, Nix and Hydra, are between 20 and 70 miles in diameter, NASA said.

Hubble –  a potent space telescope that has transformed the field of astronomy since it was first launched in 1990 –  discovered Nix and Hydra in 2005. Astronomers at the US Naval Observatory glimpsed Charon in 1978.

Pluto, once known as the ninth planet from the Sun, was declassified as a full-fledged planet in August 2006 and joined the new category, dwarf planet.

At about 1,430 miles wide, it is about two-thirds the size of the moon and has a mass less than one percent of the Earth’s.

- © AFP, 2012

Ireland to become NASA’s first international research partner >

How NASA saw the Earth from space in June >

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    Mute Jack Hackett
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    May 6th 2015, 7:02 PM

    Hopefully they can get a feta deal

    95
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    Mute O Swetenham
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    May 6th 2015, 7:08 PM

    Let the cheese puns begin. I think this could lead to a bitter fromage fray between the Canadians and the Greeks

    46
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    Mute Marco Reilly
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    May 6th 2015, 7:12 PM

    Ah Cheeseus, they’re terrible

    45
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    Mute Joanna
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    May 6th 2015, 7:42 PM

    Greece seem cheesed off, Canada feta get their act together.

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    Mute Symbolism
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    May 6th 2015, 7:07 PM

    Hard cheese

    27
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    Mute Dermot Mc Loughlin
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    May 6th 2015, 9:18 PM

    Damn Canadians up to no gouda.

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    Mute Thomas Maher
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    May 6th 2015, 7:49 PM

    That Statahakis fella, Edam well better discuss it with colleagues!!

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    Mute Micheal S. O' Ceilleachair
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    May 6th 2015, 8:03 PM

    I hope the Greeks use the veto. Enough of the deFETAist attitude!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    18
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    Mute Joey Sullivan
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    May 6th 2015, 8:07 PM

    Canada under stephen harper is another corporate owned cesspool. Tar sands and corporate ownership of govt are destroying a once model nation. Corrupt america junior.

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    Mute Reg
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    May 6th 2015, 7:49 PM

    Partial to a bit of Haloumi myself!

    15
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    Mute Gene Parmesan
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    May 7th 2015, 12:40 AM

    They should caerphilly tell the Canadians that this nacho cheese!

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    Mute William Bayle
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    May 6th 2015, 8:04 PM

    Fêta is made with ewe milk . See what I did there

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    Mute Proinsias Ó Foghlú
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    May 7th 2015, 6:36 AM

    Feta is made primarily from sheep milk, up to 30% goat milk is permitted! Come on stop making silly mistakes like this on the Jounal, Google is your friend.

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    Mute Kevin Feeney
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    May 7th 2015, 11:24 AM

    Is the market worth three million euro or does three million euro represent 10% of that market ? Either way the money involved won’t help Greece in any way.
    Please be more accurate dear Journal.

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