Scientists claim our solar system might once again have nine planets.
A century ago, the idea of another undiscovered planet lurking at the outer edges of our solar system gained attention. However, recent findings might provide fresh proof suggesting the existence of a heavenly body that could fit the bill as “Planet Nine.” This conclusion comes from a study that will soon be published in the journal.
Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia
but not yet peer-reviewed.
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The hidden candidate is likely the size of Neptune and is so far away that it could take between 10,000 and 20,000 years to orbit the sun, according to the paper.
Two deep infrared surveys taken 23 years apart measured the object’s orbital motion. In 1983, the Infrared Astronomy Satellite surveyed the universe for a year. In 2006, the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency launched the infrared satellite AKARI, which was active until 2011.
Researchers at the University in Taiwan compared objects that were observed in the IRAS database with the data obtained by AKARI to see if there were any movements within that time frame.
The candidate for Planet Nine displayed a tiny amount of movement, which could mean it advanced further in its orbit around the sun.
One of the most compelling pieces of evidence for the presence of a distant planet in our solar system is the peculiar behavior observed in the Kuiper Belt. This region, extending beyond Neptune towards interstellar space, contains an abnormal accumulation of icy objects such as comets and dwarf planets.
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Six known bodies within the Kuiper Belt exhibit elliptical trajectories aligned in the same direction. Furthermore, these Kuiper Belt objects revolve around the Sun in the reverse direction compared to all other celestial bodies in our solar system, as stated.
NASA
This might be due to the gravitational influence of a neighboring planet, according to the researchers.
Furthermore, the object only reflects a small portion of sunlight, which adds to the probability that it is actually a planet, as stated in the research.
The
International Astronomical Union
downgraded Pluto’s classification to a dwarf planet in 2006, mainly because other objects might cross its orbit.
Pluto
was previously considered to be the ninth planet in our solar system, but the new definition of a planet requires the celestial body to have enough gravity to clear its orbital path from other bodies.
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Several lines of observational evidence indicate the presence of Planet Nine, as per current findings.
NASA
.
The surveys did not provide enough data to determine the full orbit of the planetary candidate, meaning more observations will be needed, the researchers said.