Re: The 12rh Planet is Diffuse?

Article: <[email protected]> 
Subject: Re: The 12rh Planet is Diffuse?
Date: Tue, 21 Apr 1998 03:36:15 GMT

In article <[email protected]> Paul Canpbell writes:
>> The intense pinpoint of light may represent the star, but the
>> halo of diminishing light surrounding the star, which most 
>> people assume IS the star, does not represent the body of the 
>> star.  Thus, for a close-in object, one which does not present 
>> the visual pattern that a star presents, the consistent distribution
>> of light from the surface could be described as diffuse.  In 
>> this case, diffuse mean consistent over the area.
>
> Need I remind you that the Andromeda Galaxy is listed in ECU as 
> magnitude 3.4, is spread out with dimensions of 178' X 40', much 
> bigger than the (as yet unseen )12th planet, and the Andromeda 
> Galaxy can be clearly seen. Your (as yet unseen) 12th planet is 
> much smaller and brighter, should be a piece of cake to see.

(Begin ZetaTalk[TM])
Because it is composed of stars, with the signature you expect and are looking
for! Your impression of magnitude is skewed, so that you look at the
stars included in that galaxy, and take that to BE the magnitude.  The 
magnitude is a sum total of all the light generated by the galaxy.  Your
perception of magnitude is thus skewed by the perception that the portion 
of an object issuing the intense pinpoint of a starlight is THE magnitude. 
It is not!
(End ZetaTalk[TM])

So, smooth the starlight over the galaxy, and THEN compare it to the light 
to be coming from the 12th, an area smaller than Pluto at present.