CNN Indonesia
Monday, 03 Apr 2023 20:09 WIB
Illustration. Astronomers believe that there is a giant planet behind Pluto. (Doc. Tricia Talbert/NASA)
Jakarta, CNNIndonesia —
A number of astronomers believe in its existence ninth planet in the Solar System whose size is thought to be 10 times Earth.
Until 1846, astronomers claimed to have discovered the eight main planets of the Solar System. These findings do not make us to look for more.
In the last 100 years, astronomers have discovered much smaller bodies called dwarf planets, including Pluto.
The discovery of several of these dwarf planets gives us reason to believe that something else may be lurking on the outskirts of the Solar System, called Planet X.
“When we look at very distant objects, such as the dwarf planets beyond Pluto, we find that their orbits are somewhat unpredictable. They move in very large elliptical (oval-shaped) orbits, are grouped together, and are on an incline compared to the rest of the Solar System. ,” said Sara Webb, an aerospace expert from Swinburne University of Technology, quoted from The Conversation.
Astronomers then use computers to model what gravitational forces are needed to make this planet move.
Scientists around the world have been hunting for evidence of Planet X for years. According to computer models, Planet X is at least 20 times farther from the Sun than Neptune.
“We try to detect it by looking for the sunlight it can reflect – just like the Moon shines from reflected sunlight at night,” he said.
However, because Planet X is so far from the Sun, Webb predicts it will be very faint and difficult to spot even by the best telescopes on Earth.
“We only have a small window of night where conditions have to be just right. In particular, we have to wait for nights without the Moon, and where the location we observe faces the right side of the sky,” he said.
But in the next decade, says Webb, new telescopes will be built and new sky surveys will begin.
“They may give us the opportunity to prove or disprove the existence of Planet X,” he concluded.
(can/arh)
