Astronomers say they’ve found evidence that our solar system may hold another giant planet, hidden in the dark, distant badlands far beyond Neptune’s orbit. This so-called Planet Nine, described in the Astronomical Journal, would likely have roughly 10 times the mass of Earth and circle the sun in 10,000 to 20,000 Earth years. Neptune, the farthest known planet today, makes its round trip in 165 years.
If it is found to exist by powerful telescopes on Earth, Planet Nine would rewrite our definition of the solar system and help solve some mysteries about its violent past. Caltech astronomer Mike Brown, one of the main players responsible for Pluto’s demotion. If telescopes do prove that Planet Nine exists, Brown said, then our home in the galaxy doesn’t look quite so different after all.
Written by Billy Coles
Like this post? Share it or follow us on social media!
No comments:
Post a Comment