Two scientists from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) support of had found evidence of the existence of a planet with a mass about 10 times that of Earth that orbit in the outer solar system. The two researchers, Konstantin Batygin and Mike Brown, have discovered the existence of this celestial body thanks to mathematical models and computer simulations, but have not yet directly observed.
What at the time was dubbed simply “Planet Nine” (“Nine Planet”, that is, the ninth of the Solar System) would follow an orbit extremely long, about 20 times farther from the Sun than it is on average that of Neptune, which it is currently the most distant planet in the solar system. This alleged new celestial body impieghierebbe fact between 10,000 and 20,000 years to complete one revolution around our star.
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“This would be a ninth planet,” says Brown, a professor of planetary astronomy. “ There were only two real planets discovered since ancient times , and this would be the third. It’s a pretty big piece of our Solar System that is still out there and must esere found, which is really exciting. “
In fact, over the last century the only objects in the solar system have been discovered asteroids, comets and dwarf planets, but according to data reported by the two scientists in a paper published in Astronomical Journal there is no risk that the Planet Nine is something, considering that this celestial body dominates in terms of the gravitational area surrounding it (this is one of the three characteristics that an object must have not to be classified as a dwarf planet). In fact, the Planet Nine gravitational influence seems to have an area larger than that of any other known planet. Which, according to Brown, makes “The more ‘pianetoso’ planets.”
“Although we were initially skeptical that this planet could exist, as we continued to investigate on its orbit and what it would mean for the outer Solar System we became more and more convinced that it was out there, “said Batygin, assistant of planetary science. “For the first time in over 150 years (Neptune was discovered in 1846, editor’s note), There are solid evidence that the census planetary solar system is incomplete .”
One of the hypotheses on the formation of the Solar System is focused on the presence of four “planetary cores” that have incorporated all the gas around them, giving birth to the four gas planets: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune, “ There is no reason to which these households could not be five, not four , “says Brown, who is known in the scientific world, thanks to the discovery of several trans-Neptunian objects that for her role in” relegation “to dwarf planet Pluto.
The next step is now to groped to directly observe the Planet Nine . Although we are talking about an object with a large mass, able to take a look they will not be an easy task: although its theoretical orbit is known, its exact location is unknown instead. If by chance should be close to its perihelion (the point in its orbit where it is closest to the Sun) could even be seen in some existing image.
If he were in the opposite position (aphelion ), observation would be possible only with the most powerful telescopes in the world . If the Planet Nine was about halfway between these two positions there would be several observatories in the world can see it. “I would love to be able to find it,” admits Brown. “But I would be very happy even if someone else found him. That is why we published our study, we hope that others will be inspired and begin to look for.”
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