Tiny Kuiper Belt objects, rocks of 100m or less in diameter,
have been spotted for the first time by an astronomical research
team at National Tsing-hua University, according to the
university. The team, organized by professor Chang Hsiang-kuang
(張祥光), proved the existence of the objects by analyzing the time
"bins" -- the duration of occultations -- in X-rays emitted by
the star Scorpius X-1. Their findings have been published in the
Aug. 10 edition of the scientific journal Nature. Astronomers
have long suggested that there should be billions of Kuiper Belt
objects beyond the planet Neptune, which are sometimes referred
to as "trans-neptunian objects." However, owing to the limits in
visible light observation, objects with diameters of less than
1,000m had never been discovered. Wed, Aug 16, 2006 - Page 3
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