Wikipedia:Main Page history/2017 May 12

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Known objects in the Kuiper belt

The Kuiper belt is a circumstellar disc in the Solar System extending beyond the orbit of Neptune, at 30 to 50 astronomical units from the Sun. It is similar to the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, but far larger—20 times as wide and 20 to 200 times as massive. Like the asteroid belt, it consists mainly of small bodies that are remnants from the Solar System's formation. Many asteroids are composed primarily of rock and metal, but most Kuiper belt objects are composed largely of frozen volatiles such as methane, ammonia and water. The disc was named after Dutch-American astronomer Gerard Kuiper, though he did not predict its existence. Some of the Solar System's moons, such as Neptune's Triton and Saturn's Phoebe, are thought to have originated in the region. It is home to three officially recognized dwarf planets: Haumea, Makemake, and Pluto, the largest and most massive member of the Kuiper belt. Originally considered a planet, Pluto was reclassified as a dwarf planet in 2006. (Full article...)

Part of the Solar System series, one of Wikipedia's featured topics.

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Did you know...

Beatrice Alexander

... that 90 years after Beatrice Alexander (pictured) founded the Alexander Doll Company, the company issued a doll in her likeness, priced at US$1,499.95?
... that proteins from a bacterium toxic to pests have been incorporated into crop plants for biological pest control?
... that in 2000, Lloyds Bank RFC's ground was sold by Lloyds TSB, which meant the club had to groundshare with a rival bank?
... that V. S. Sangwan developed a treatment protocol for corneal injuries using cultured limbal stem cells?
... that Turkish journalist Erol Önderoğlu, a campaigner for freedom of the press, was arrested for spreading "terrorism propaganda" in favor of the Kurdistan Workers' Party?
... that the German cities of Duisburg, Essen, and Kiel all had their populations increase five-fold or more between 1875 and 1910?
... that conquistador Pedro de Portocarrero founded the first Spanish colonial town within the territory of the modern Mexican state of Chiapas?
... that Arlington, Washington, was locally known as the "Shingle Capital of the World"?

In the news

Emmanuel Macron

In the French presidential election, Emmanuel Macron (pictured) defeats Marine Le Pen to become the next President of France.
In horse racing, Always Dreaming, ridden by jockey John Velazquez, wins the Kentucky Derby.
A border clash between Afghanistan and Pakistan results in military and civilian deaths on both sides.
The maiden flight of the Chinese Comac C919 airliner takes place.
Puerto Rico files for debt restructuring, the largest ever de facto governmental bankruptcy in the United States.
Mark Selby defeats John Higgins to win the World Snooker Championship.

On this day...

May 12: Birth of Muhammad al-Mahdi (Shia Islam, 2017)

Coppergate Helmet

907 – Zhu Wen forced Emperor Ai into abdicating, ending the Tang dynasty after nearly three hundred years of rule.
1881 – Under the threat of invasion, the Bey of Tunis Muhammad III as-Sadiq signed the Treaty of Bardo to make Tunisia a French protectorate.
1942 – World War II: Soviet forces under Marshal Semyon Timoshenko launched a major offensive in eastern Ukraine, only to be encircled and destroyed by German troops two weeks later.
1967 – The Jimi Hendrix Experience released the critically-acclaimed and widely influential debut album Are You Experienced.
1982 – The Coppergate Helmet (pictured), the best preserved of the six known Anglo-Saxon helmets, was discovered.

Lady Grange (d. 1745) · Katharine Hepburn (b. 1907) · Alexander Esenin-Volpin (b. 1924)

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From today's featured list

Hurricane Grace

The British Overseas Territory of Bermuda has a long history of encounters with Atlantic tropical cyclones, many of which inflicted significant damage and influenced the territory's development. A small archipelago comprising about 138 islands and islets, Bermuda occupies 21 square miles (54 km²) in the North Atlantic Ocean, roughly 650 miles (1,050 km) east of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. The islands are situated far outside the main development region for Atlantic hurricanes, but within the typical belt of recurving tropical cyclones. According to the Bermuda Weather Service, the islands of Bermuda experience a damaging tropical cyclone once every six to seven years, on average. Due to the small area of the island chain, landfalls and direct hits are rare. Events have caused Bermuda widely varying degrees of damage. A hurricane in 1609 was responsible for the first permanent settlement on Bermuda: in late July, the Jamestown-bound, British ship Sea Venture nearly foundered in the storm and sought refuge on the islands, which the passengers found surprisingly hospitable. Hurricane Fabian was the most intense storm to impact the territory in modern times. (Full list...)

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Today's featured picture

Cepheus is a constellation in the northern sky. Named after Cepheus, King of Aethiopia, in Greek mythology, it was listed by the 2nd century astronomer Ptolemy and remains one of the 88 modern constellations. Its brightest star is Alpha Cephei. The constellation also has the hyperluminous quasar S5 0014+81, which hosts the most massive black hole known in the universe.

This illustration was included in Urania's Mirror, a set of celestial cards illustrated by Sidney Hall.

Illustration: Sidney Hall; restoration: Adam Cuerden

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