Did you know that they discovered a dwarf planet on the edge of the solar system?
You may remember the saga involving the search for Planet X - a possible super Earth that would "dwell" in the confines of the Solar System. We here at Mega Curious have talked about the search for this world on a few occasions, and basically it has been a while since astronomers have suspected that there is a planetary beyond Pluto's orbit and scouring those bands in their search.
For scientists at the University of Hawaii have announced the discovery of a dwarf planet on the edge of the solar system - and their behavior seems to support the theory that Planet X also orbits there. The star was cataloged with the official nomenclature 2015 TG387 and affectionately nicknamed "Goblin" or "Leprechaun" in free translation, nicknamed inspired by the fact that he was first observed just a few days before the celebration of Halloween.
New neighbor
But what about this distant goblin, what else did astronomers discover? The little planet is only 300 kilometers in diameter - just to give you an idea, Pluto, which, despite eternal discussion, is also classified as a dwarf planet, is just over 2, 300 kilometers - and is very, too far from us. Check out the following scheme:
Far away, right? According to astronomers, the dwarf planet has a rather weird - non-circular orbit which, when it brings it closer to the sun, still, the distance between the little planet and our star is 65 astronomical units (AU), that is, the equivalent of 65 times the distance that separates the earth from the star-king. And when does your orbit leave you in the farthest position? So space jumps to unthinkable 2, 300 UA!
In fact, scientists have identified only two other stars in the Solar System that are farther away than the Goblin, the dwarf planet Sedna, and a celestial body that astronomers have cataloged as 2012 VP113. Another thing: Astronomers believe that there may be many other stars like this on the edge of our "planetary neighborhood, " and it is precisely the fact that these objects are so far away from us that they are so difficult to identify.
About how the discovery of the new planet supports the theory that Planet X is there, somewhere in the confines of the Solar System, the researchers who identified it did a series of simulations and found clues that the behavior of its orbit is influenced. by the presence of “something big, ” possibly a super earth. So, dear reader, do you find the world lost this time?
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