A new mystery is being revealed in the vastness of space – the location of Planet Nine, an object that astronomers say may be twice as massive as Earth.
This is reported by an online publication and news source. ScienceAlert.
According to the latest data, scientists were able to clarify the area where to look for this mysterious planet. Researchers at Caltech conducted a series of calculations based on the orbits of distant objects beyond Neptune and concluded that the effects of Planet Nine’s gravity could explain the observed trajectories of these objects.
The first speculation about the existence of Planet Nine appeared back in 2015, when researchers analyzed the orbits of several trans-Neptunian objects and suggested the presence of a massive body acting as a “shepherd” for these objects.
The new study took advantage of extensive data from the Pan-STARRS1 surveillance program to make more accurate calculations. Scientists were able to determine that the mass of the hypothetical Planet Nine should be in the range of two to four Earth masses. They also eliminated 78 percent of previously considered areas as potential habitats for the planet.
It is possible that the trajectories of trans-Neptunian objects may have other explanations, and astronomers continue to study this issue. Despite the progress made, many unresolved questions remain, and the search for Planet Nine will continue.
The history of astronomy knows many examples when planets were discovered not by direct observations, but thanks to mathematical calculations. For example, the discovery of Neptune in 1846 was the result of a prediction of its location by astronomer and mathematician Urbain Le Verrier, who calculated the influence of an unknown planet on the orbit of Uranus. Thanks to these calculations, astronomer Johann Gottfried Halle discovered Neptune in the place that was predicted.
Earlier, Cursor reported that scientists managed to find the most massive black hole in the observable Universe. The amount of gas and dust consumed daily by the black hole is equal to the mass of the Sun. At the moment, astronomers cannot unravel the mechanism of formation of supermassive black holes.
