Planet Y could be hiding in solar system

Planet Y May Be Hidden in Our Solar System

Researchers from Princeton University say the new finding could rewrite astronomy textbooks and increase the number of recognized planets beyond the current eight.

The possible planet was detected indirectly after astronomers noticed that about 50 icy objects in the Kuiper Belt, a region beyond Neptune filled with asteroids and dwarf planets, were tilted at an unusual angle.

The lead author of the study, Dr. Amir Siraj said: “We started to find explanations other than a planet that could explain the tilt, but what we found was that you actually need a planet there.

“This paper is not a discovery of a planet. But it is certainly an exploration of a puzzle for which a planet is a possible solution.”

If Planet Y exists, scientists say it would be a rocky world with a mass between that of Earth and Mercury, orbiting 100 to 200 times farther from the Sun than our own planet; This makes it too faint to be detected with existing telescopes.

The theory does not rule out the existence of another hypothesized Planet Together, the two theories suggest that our solar system could be home to 10 planets, not eight.

But some astronomers remain skeptical about this.

from the University of Regina in Canada. Samantha Lawler said the findings were “inconclusive” and observational evidence was needed before any conclusions could be drawn.

That evidence may come soon. The Vera Rubin Observatory in Chile, which started operating this year, will photograph the entire sky every 40 seconds for up to 12 hours of the night.

Dr. Siraj said: “I think this will be finalized in the first 2-3 years.

“If Planet Y is within the field of view of the telescope, it will be able to find it directly.”