OMEN
08-25-2006, 10:56 PM
Kiwi actress Lucy Lawless is delighted her favourite character is to be immortalised in space.
The International Astronomical Union agreed in Prague on Thursday that two distant objects would become dwarf planets - one which carries a nickname of the television warrior princess played by Lawless.
It was originally called 2003 UB313, an icy object slightly larger than Pluto. However, its discoverer, Michael Brown of the California Institute of Technology, nicknamed it Xena - a name that stuck.
The second object was the asteroid Ceres, which was a planet in the 1800s before it got demoted.
The woman who spent six years being Xena said the decision was a compliment to everyone who worked on the show.
Lawless found out Xena was being considered for dwarf planet status from fans.
Before the vote was taken Lawless had been in contact with Gerard van Belle, a delegate at the Prague conference.
"He said the name Xena may be passed over for something more classical, like Persephone. My response was swift: 'Who's Peresphone anyway? Didn't I kill her in the second season?'"
Lawless said Professor van Belle told her that even if 2003 UB313's application were approved, the name might drift away from Xena.
"I told him there would be no drifting. The name's Xena. It's been foretold."
Delegates also voted to demote Pluto - formerly the ninth rock from the Sun - from the planetary status it has held since its discovery in 1930. It is now a dwarf planet - like Xena.
Professor Brown, whose Xena find rekindled calls for Pluto's demise because it showed it was not as singular as it once seemed, said: "Eight is enough. I may go down in history as the guy who killed Pluto."
The Dominion Post
The International Astronomical Union agreed in Prague on Thursday that two distant objects would become dwarf planets - one which carries a nickname of the television warrior princess played by Lawless.
It was originally called 2003 UB313, an icy object slightly larger than Pluto. However, its discoverer, Michael Brown of the California Institute of Technology, nicknamed it Xena - a name that stuck.
The second object was the asteroid Ceres, which was a planet in the 1800s before it got demoted.
The woman who spent six years being Xena said the decision was a compliment to everyone who worked on the show.
Lawless found out Xena was being considered for dwarf planet status from fans.
Before the vote was taken Lawless had been in contact with Gerard van Belle, a delegate at the Prague conference.
"He said the name Xena may be passed over for something more classical, like Persephone. My response was swift: 'Who's Peresphone anyway? Didn't I kill her in the second season?'"
Lawless said Professor van Belle told her that even if 2003 UB313's application were approved, the name might drift away from Xena.
"I told him there would be no drifting. The name's Xena. It's been foretold."
Delegates also voted to demote Pluto - formerly the ninth rock from the Sun - from the planetary status it has held since its discovery in 1930. It is now a dwarf planet - like Xena.
Professor Brown, whose Xena find rekindled calls for Pluto's demise because it showed it was not as singular as it once seemed, said: "Eight is enough. I may go down in history as the guy who killed Pluto."
The Dominion Post