Astronomers recently announced exciting findings about the possible existence of a new planet in the solar system. This planet, nicknamed Planet Y, is thought to be hiding in the outer region of the solar system, precisely in the area known as the Kuiper Belt, where many asteroids, comets and dwarf planets such as Pluto are located.
Planet Y is said to be a new candidate for Planet Nine, an alternative to Planet X that scientists have been looking for for almost a decade. In contrast to Planet
According to the study published August 21 in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Planet Y may be about 100 to 200 times Earth’s distance from the Sun, or just slightly beyond the orbit of Neptune. Meanwhile, Planet At such a distance, such planets are difficult to detect because they reflect very little light towards Earth.
The lead researcher of this study, Amir Siraj, an astrophysicist from Princeton University, explained that this conclusion came after they studied the movement of 50 objects in the Kuiper Belt. As a result, the orbits of these objects appear tilted about 15 degrees compared to the orbits of other planets. According to Siraj and his team, the only logical explanation for the tilt is the presence of a hidden planet that influences their orbit.
Even so, many experts still doubt these findings. Samantha Lawler, an astronomer from the University of Regina in Canada, believes that the data used is still too little to draw conclusions. Meanwhile, Patryk Sofia Lykawka from Kindai University in Japan believes that the Planet Y idea still makes sense, but needs more observational evidence to be trustworthy.
Luckily, the chances of finding answers may not be far away. Currently, the Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile, a telescope with the largest digital camera in the world, is starting to scan the night sky. Scientists predict this observatory will discover thousands of new objects in the Kuiper Belt in the next few years. It is hoped that this data will help confirm whether Planet Y really exists or not.
Siraj is optimistic that definite results will be visible within two to three years.
“If Planet Y is within range of a telescope, we will be able to find it,” he said on the Science Daily page.
However, if no evidence of its existence is found within that time, the theory of Planet Y and even Planet X may have to be removed from scientists’ search lists.
Source: Science Daily
