Astronomers have nicknamed a new dwarf planet circling the sun at the outer edges of the solar system after Vice President Biden.
According to Nature, a leading scientific journal, the object’s official designation is 2012 VP113. But the team studying its orbit around the sun colloquially refer to the planet as just “VP” or “Biden,” after the sitting vice president.
{mosads}The object won’t carry an official title until scientists collect more data. After determining its orbit, they’ll submit a formal name to the International Astronomical Union (IAU) for consideration.
The Biden dwarf is the second such object to be discovered in the area beyond Pluto. The object is 280 miles across and an estimated minus 430 degrees.