data compiled by L Blake Finley, M.A, ABD-2
(revised and updated, March 2007) PREFACE Data for the Hamburg School Transneptunians has been fine-tuned over a period of time. The original data from Witte and Sieggrün is presented here, along with more recent updates based on the calculations of James Neely. Neely's updated information was used to calculate Ruth Brummund's second edition of the Transneptune Ephemeride (1890-2000) in 1975, her Transneptun Ephemeride 1920-2000, and the Transneptun Ephemeride 2001-2050. The purpose of the data being given below is not for ephermeris generation, and thus the figures are rounded off. This data gives one a general idea of where these celestial factors are supposed to be located, and for tracking and matching with the rapidly increasing astronomical data on Transneptunian bodies (that is being recorded and further refined over time), thanks greatly to recent space technology, including the Hubble Space Telescope. The numeric data of the Transneptunians also helps in understanding the proportional relationship of these bodies to the Earth, our solar system, and other inner planetary bodies within our system. Data for other planets is included for purpose of comparison and is drawn from The Encyclopaedia Britannica.
The Transneptun Ephemeride (1890-2000, 1920-2000, and 2001-2050) calculated by Ruth Brummund have reflected the Neely data corrections in all editions published since 1975. The fact that Witte worked only with the first four of these Transneptunians is often overlooked. Writings by him make little to no reference to the four outer Transneptunians, which were added by Friedrich Sieggrün and colleagues. Witte's writings clearly indicate that he assumed these astronomical factors to be planets. However, since that time, it has been conjectured that the inner bodies may be Plutinos, and that some may be barycenters of collections of astronomical objects. Witte, himself, pointed out that they are probably quite difficult to spot with telescopes without special cameras detecting phenomena outside the normal human range of vision... and that this is due in part to their great distance from Earth. It may be important to note that those bodies heretofore described as planets are -- with the exception of Plutinos and other probable necomers to out Solar System, of steadily decreasing density as we travel away from the Sun. The following table includes the Neely data, and includes the original figures calculated by Witte & Sieggrün.
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To "Transneptunians: Science or Speculation? Fact or Fantasy?" FOOTNOTES ¹ "Orbital period" here refers to what is also called the sidereal period, sidereal revolutionary period, or the simply the revolutionary period, depending on which text you refer to. It is the time needed for a planet to make one complete orbit or circle around the Sun. The figures to the left for the Witte-Sieggrün Transneptunians are based on the corrections calculated by James Neely in the 1980s; data provided by Ruth Brummund. ² Pluto is known to have a highly eccentric orbit, and its distance from the Sun therefore varies significantly, from approximately 30 to 50 AU; it periodically crosses over the path of Neptune and the hypothesized path of Cupido, and very close to, if not beyond, the path of Hades. Some astronomers in recent years even believe Pluto to be more in the "centaur" classification (as are Chiron and Transpluto) than in the "planet" category, and/or to be one of a number of "Plutinos", i.e. a belt of asteroid-like bodies the Transneptunian region. From this, we can see an example of the rapidly and continually changing understanding of this region of our Solar System. While Pluto was first recognized as being "discovered" in 1930, conclusions have been drawn about its chemical and atmospheric composition that are still being investigated and significantly revised as of the year 2001. Thus, earlier inferences about the impossibility of the co-existence of Pluto with nearby Transneptunians are groundless. For a detailed summary of recent U S Government data on the Transneptunian regions arriving from space telescopes, see http://www.nas.edu/ssb/neptmenu.htm . ³ One Astronomical Unit (1 AU) is defined as the distance from our Sun to the Earth. Therefore, by looking at the chart, we see that Saturn is 9.5 times as far from our Sun as Earth is; that Pluto is 39.5 times as far from our Sun as Earth is; that Hades is assumed to be 50.7 times as far from our Sun as Earth is; and that Poseidon is supposed to be 83.7 times as far from our Sun as Earth is, over twice as distant as Pluto from our Sun. BIBLIOGRAPHY Brummund, R. Transneptun Ephemeride 1920-2000. Hamburg, Germany: Udo Rudolph Verlag. Brummund, R. Transneptun Ephemeride 2001-2050. Hamburg, Germany: Udo Rudolph Verlag. Encyclopaedia Brittanica. 1998. Neely, J. 1977?. Transneptune data sheet. San Diego CA, USA: Unpublished manuscript forwarded by Ruth Brummund. Vanin, G. 1996. A Photographic Tour of the Universe. Willowdale, Ontario, Canada: Firefly Books Ltd. Witte, A., & Sieggrün, F. 1932, 1950. Immerwährende Ephemeride. Hamburg, Germany: Witte-Verlag Ludwig Rudolph. Witte, A. 1975. Der Mensch--eine Empfangsstation kosmischer Suggestionen. Hamburg, Germany: Ludwig Rudolph (Witte-Verlag). |
