Scientists have recently discovered new evidence that provides strong support for the existence of a hidden planet within our solar system.
Scientists have recently discovered new evidence that provides strong support for the existence of a hidden planet within our solar system.
For years, a few astronomers have been proposing the idea that the peculiar behavior observed at the edge of our solar system can only be explained by the presence of another undiscovered planet.
This theory helps explain the unusual orbits of objects located at the farthest reaches of our solar system, over 250 times further away from the Sun than we are.
Konstantin Batygin, an astronomer who played an important role in popularizing this theory, has now revealed that he and his team have found additional evidence to support the existence of Planet 9. According to Batygin, this evidence is the most conclusive statistical proof yet that there is indeed something out there.
To gather this new evidence, scientists examined a group of trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs), which are objects located at the fringes of our solar system beyond Neptune. The study looked at those objects whose movement is unstable due to their interaction with Neptune’s orbit. These objects are difficult to understand because of their instability, and astronomers have generally avoided using them in their analysis when searching for Planet Nine. Nonetheless, the team’s new findings provide compelling evidence that supports the existence of this elusive planet, which would be the ninth planet in our solar system.
Researchers instead looked towards those objects, and tried to understand their movements. And, Dr Bogytin claimed, the best explanation is that they result from another, undiscovered planet.
The team carried out a host of simulations to understand how those objects’ orbits were affected by a variety of things, including the giant planets around them such as Neptune, the “Galactic tide” that comes from the Milky Way, and passing stars.
The best explanation was from the model that included Planet Nine, however, Dr Bogytin said. They noted that there were other explanations for the behaviour of those objects – including the suggestion that other planets once influenced their orbit, but have since been removed – but claim that the theory of Planet Nine remains the best explanation.
Better understanding of the existence or not of Planet Nine will come when the Vera C Rubin Observatory is turned on, they note. That is currently being built in Chile, and when it is turned on it will be able to scan the sky to understand the behaviour of those distant objects.
“This upcoming phase of exploration promises to provide critical insights into the mysteries of our solar system’s outer reaches,” the team writes in their paper.
