Space & Astronomy

'10 planets or more' within our solar system

By T.K. Randall
June 15, 2016 ·  6 comments

How many undiscovered worlds are there within our own solar system ? Image Credit: NASA Back in January, Caltech scientists Mike Brown and Konstantin Batygin created a mathematical model indicating that a Neptune-sized object in the outer solar system could be influencing the movements of six smaller Kuiper Belt objects which appeared to be behaving rather oddly.

Nicknamed Planet Nine, this theoretical world is thought to be situated so far out that a single orbit around the sun could take it anywhere between 10,000 and 20,000 years.

Now Dr Sverre J. Aarseth from Cambridge University's Institute of Astronomy has revealed that the paths of several known dwarf planets are not as stable as previously believed - something which could indicate the presence of additional planets in the distant reaches of the solar system.Based on the available data in fact, the scenario which best fits the movements observed would involve the existence of not only one undiscovered planet but several.

"With the orbit indicated by the Caltech astronomers for Planet Nine, our calculations show that the six ETNOs (extreme trans-Neptunian objects), which they consider to be the Rosetta Stone in the solution to this mystery, would move in lengthy, unstable orbits," said Carlos de la Fuente Marcos, an astronomer who has been working with Dr Aarseth.

"That is to say we believe that in addition to a Planet Nine, there could also be a Planet Ten and even more."

Source: Cambridge News | Comments (6)

Tags: Solar System, Planets, Planet X