Some more info has been published about Plut0 – and Charon (see http://phys.org/print399842130.html ). Is there life in the sub surface ocean on Pluto? Is it rich in ammonium? Ammonia was detected as a compound on the moon Charon – and a smaller moon of Pluto. Of course, the composition of Pluto's ocean is still an unknown and only speculation exists (even though some people are convinced they know what is going on). The make-up of the ocean (below the crust of ice) is subject to computer simulation (modelling of several assumptions) but does an ocean really exist – or is it just a gooey mess?
Meanwhile, as Christmas approaches we have another theory on the Star of Bethlehem. Grant Matthews claims it was an alignment. In particular that of the sun, Jupiter, our moon, and Saturn – thought to be a rare event. The presence of Jupiter, we are told, signified the birth of a ruler with a special role in future affairs. Saturn, on the the other hand, was a symbol of 'giving life'when it corresponded with the presence of Aries at vernal equinox. He also suggests the Zoroastrian magi had determined it was a ruler of Judea that was born, in what sounds a lot like astrology rather than astronomy. Matthew Grant mapped the sky at 6BC but can he predict the passage of concent comets, very often retrograde.