Clearest trace of ninth planet found

(NLDO) - The "ghost" that is silently pushing asteroids - even Pluto - can only be the "9th planet" 5 times heavier than Earth.

A research team led by astronomer Konstantin Bogytin from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech - USA) claims to have the "strongest statistical evidence" for the existence of a ninth planet on the edge of the Solar System.

Planet 9 could be located up to 500 astronomical units from the Sun - AI graphic image

A brief description of the study has been published online and is set for formal publication in the Astrophysical Journal Letters. Dr. Bogytin said he and his colleagues tracked the movements of “trans-Neptunian objects” (TNOs).

These include asteroids floating outside the orbit of Neptune, as well as dwarf planets such as Pluto and Eris.

Many of these objects — including dwarf planets — are often overlooked in studies of Planet Nine, despite their orbital instabilities.

This instability is thought to be caused by gravitational interactions with the giant planet Neptune.

However, the team believes that a ninth planet could also play a part.

So they set up a more comprehensive model, simulating and incorporating known forces from other planets, passing stars, and galactic tidal forces, the push and pull of Earth's own Milky Way galaxy.

Two simulations were run, one assuming a ninth planet existed and one assuming there were no other planets beyond Neptune.

The results showed that only with the appearance of the ninth planet did all the data fit together.

Because the model takes into account every possible interaction with objects in the far reaches of the Solar System, the scientists claim they have the strongest statistical evidence yet.

Calculations also show that this ninth planet is about five times more massive than Earth - small compared to planets in the outer reaches of the Solar System - and is located 500 astronomical units (AU) away from our parent star.

One AU is the distance between the Sun and Earth. Pluto, which was once considered the ninth planet before being demoted by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) in 2006, lies about 30 AU away at perihelion and about 49 AU at aphelion.

Therefore, observing the mysterious ninth planet remains a huge challenge.

Previously, there were many hypotheses surrounding the ninth planet of the solar system. Some research groups even claimed that this "planet" is actually a black hole.

NASA alone believes that Pluto is the ninth planet, because it has the characteristics of a planet rather than a dwarf planet.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/tim-ra-dau-vet-ro-rang-nhat-cua-hanh-tinh-thu-9-196240430090206917.htm