[troutman]

http://www.planetary.org/blog/article/00003045/

The last decade has seen an explosion in our understanding of the solar system with the discovery of the largest Kuiper belt objects (KBOs) of comparable size to Pluto. Each one of these objects; including Makemake, Pluto, Eris, Haumea, Sedna, Quaoar, and Orcus, has provided a wealth of information. Each of these large bodies tells a unique story, from Haumea's mantle-shattering collision to Sedna's lonely, strange orbit. These objects are the lighthouses of their population, bright enough for astronomers to discover them and study their physical properties and orbits using medium and large telescopes.