To date, scientists and astronomers claim that: The Solar System consists of eight major planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune) and one dwarf planet (Pluto). However, there is some scientific evidence that there may be another celestial body forming this cluster.
It was called the Ninth Planet or Planet
until 2006 Pluto was considered the ninth star in the Solar System, but was reclassified as a dwarf After the International Astronomical Union (IAU) announced that it did not meet all the criteria to be considered a planet. However, it is possible that a ninth Solar System object actually exists, but scientists say current astronomical instruments may not be able to observe it.
As the scientific literature explains, one of the first observed evidence of the existence of another planet in the Solar System was revealed in 2014, when the trans-Neptunian object (TNO) Sedna was examined by astronomer Scott Sheppard. According to researchers, Strange data obtained from Sedna’s orbit indicate the presence of a star of significant mass in that region.
In a message sent to the website Live ScienceAstronomer Mike Brown of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) notes: The irregularity detected in Sedna indicates the presence of something like an asteroid cluster, a dwarf planet, or another common planet in the region. Brown was responsible for putting forward the hypothesis that a new celestial object might exist in the Solar System, but he notes that it is still not possible to confirm with 100% certainty that the object actually exists.
“We didn’t say a planet existed at first because we thought its existence was ridiculous. But we tried many different things to explain what we saw, and nothing else worked. Our best guess is that it’s about seven times larger than Brown, Earth, or five times the size of ours.” “It has a mass between 10 and 10 times that of the solar system, making it the fifth largest star in the solar system, after Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune and Uranus,” he said.
Ninth Planet: The last planet in the Solar System
While there is some evidence for the existence of Planet X, existing spacecraft are not yet powerful enough to confirm scientists’ hypothesis.
As Brown explains, The wait to detect Planet Nine may soon be over following the opening of the Vera C. Rubin Observatory, an 8.4-meter ground-based reflecting telescope being built in northern Chile. The new scientific mission is expected to launch in 2025, so perhaps scientists will soon discover the truth about the mysterious celestial body.
Following the discovery of Sedna, researchers in 2016 published a study suggesting the existence of Planet X and stated that three more TNOs with similar properties were detected. Since that time, The authors of the article continue to collect information to confirm the theory; To date, other TNOs have been discovered, totaling 13 trans-Neptunian objects, strengthening their possible existence.
The reason scientists have yet to find Planet Nine is its extreme distance from the Sun. Since it can take up to 10 thousand years to complete one rotation around the starThe. Currently, Brown says, project researchers are analyzing data from Japan’s Subaru Telescope in Hawaii. If they can’t find it, the Vera C. Rubin Observatory may provide the answer to this mystery.
How long until we find Planet X?
The Vera C. Rubin Observatory will become operational in 2025, but scientists believe it could still take a decade or moreS to analyze telescope data and send out probes to confirm the object’s existence.
“This will take at least a decade or more,” he added. “This is mainly due to the fact that missions must go through a long and rigorous government selection process.” Space systems engineer Andreas Hein of the University of Luxembourg said, “If Planet 9 is somehow anomalous “There may be more interest in expediting such a mission,” he said. Live Science.
In another article published in 2022, A group of astronomers claim it could take 45 to 75 years for a spacecraft to approach the star and confirm whether it is real or not.l. The researchers state that the estimate is conservative, so the discovery may occur slightly earlier.
It is important to emphasize that not all scientists believe in the existence of Planet Nine; Some even suggest that the strange orbits of TNOs may be due to an observational bias. Astronomer Samantha Lawler of the University of Regina in Canada believes there should be several objects to discover, but Planet Nine is not one of them.
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Source: Tec Mundo
I’m Blaine Morgan, an experienced journalist and writer with over 8 years of experience in the tech industry. My expertise lies in writing about technology news and trends, covering everything from cutting-edge gadgets to emerging software developments. I’ve written for several leading publications including Gadget Onus where I am an author.
