New clues point to the existence of a ninth planet in the solar system

[EN VIDÉO] A ninth planet is said to be hiding in the solar system Astronomers believe that there is a ninth planet in the farthest reaches of the solar system. According to them, this is indicated by the special orbits of various objects in the Kuiper belt as well as the dwarf planet Sedna, beyond Neptune. Calculations give a mass between 5 and 10 times that of the earth. It would be an ice giant, like Neptune. It is currently in a highly elliptical orbit, furthest from the sun. It takes between 10,000 and 20,000 years to complete its orbit around the sun.

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Over the past few years, rumors have swelled. A ninth planet will hide at our edge Solar system. What are ear lice? astronomer ? NS eye socket details of various Kuiper belt objects. All assumptions go there. Even those who claim that ninth planet will become an exoplanet trapped by our solar system. Or… a little black hole!

Simulations of the evolution of our solar system, for their part, struggle to explain the configuration of this tiny corner of the universe. Because they lack information, researcher from the University of British Columbia (Canada) and the University of Arizona (United States). So they represent a planet our size Earth Mars can be born under gas giantbefore far beyond orbit Neptune .

Because according to astronomers, there is something strange about the configuration of our current solar system. They argue that the outer part of our system cannot possibly consist of four giant planet then nothing but dwarf planet . Their simulations show that there must be planets of other sizes. And addition rocky planetbetween giants resulted in a more precise model. At least in terms of the early stages of our solar system’s development. Then it can merge with the dwarf planet. Or even, literally thrust into interstellar space.

A planet betrayed by a trans-Neptune object

While researchers hope to learn more from telescopea new generation that will soon scan the skies with unprecedented sharpness, University of Oklahoma Astronomer (United States) also has a modelthe evolution of our solar system. Of the four giant planets. And the million icy bodies that inhabit the Kuiper belt drive. All in no less than 4 billion years!

Models containing a ninth planet show that distant objects – which never approach 40 to 50 times the distance between Earth and our sun – tend to congregate in orbits of relatively low tilt, relative to the level of the sun. system. A feature that seems to be the existence of a ninth planet. Because it doesn’t appear on models with eight planets.

So if you don’t get the ninth planet you’re talking about, observing this collection of distant objects could be new indirect evidence of its existence. Here too, we have to wait for the introduction of a new instrument. NS Space and time Legacy Survey (LSST) from the Vera C. Rubin Observatory, for example. It will begin observing the sky in 2023 and should be able to detect the highly sought-after trans-Neptunian object by astronomers.