Hubble Confirms Two New Moons of Pluto

The Hubble Space Telescope has confirmed two new moons orbiting Pluto, which were first detected last year. Additional observations will be made by Hubble on March 2, which should reveal details such as their size, shape and color. Meanwhile, NASA's New Horizons space probe (which launched last month) is due to arrive at Pluto in July, 2015, and may encounter faint, icy rings.

In other news, a group of amateur astronomers using the 2.1-metre Otto Struve Telescope at the McDonald Observatory in Fort Davis, Texas have become the first people to observe the so-called tenth planet "Xena" through a telescope. (In related news, Lucy Lawless has joined the cast of Battlestar Galactica for its forthcoming third season, which starts production in April and is expected to premiere this summer.)