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'Forensic evidence' of undiscovered planets
Telegraph ^ | February 19, 2008 | Nic Fleming

Posted on 02/13/2009 7:54:10 PM PST by SunkenCiv

Astronomers believe there are large numbers of both rocky planets and gas giants in the Oort Cloud, a vast cloud of comets approximately five trillion miles away - some 50,000 times the distance from Earth to the Sun...

Computer modelling and other astronomical clues suggest it may contain around 1,000 small planetary bodies, some of which may be the size of the Earth and Mars or larger.

Dr Alan Stern, a Nasa expert on the outer solar system described "forensic evidence" for the existence of large numbers of undiscovered planets in the Oort Cloud at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) conference in Boston.

Dr Stern said the angle of Uranus's rotation suggested it had been struck by an object three to five times the mass of Earth at some time in its history...

"If you calculate how likely that was if there was only one such object around, you find that the probability is nil. In fact there ought to have been several dozen of these three to five Earth mass class objects around in order to make that event probable. Where have they gone? Computer models show us that they were probably scattered to the Oort Cloud, and we will eventually find them."

(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...


TOPICS: Astronomy; Science
KEYWORDS: catastrophism; xplanets
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1 posted on 02/13/2009 7:54:10 PM PST by SunkenCiv
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Scientists Find Another PLANET in our solar system!
Space DOT com |15 March 2004 | By Robert Roy Britt
Posted on 03/16/2004 6:57:47 PM PST by vannrox
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1099309/posts

Distant Sedna Raises Possibility of Another Earth-Sized Planet in Our Solar System
Space.com | 3/16/04 | Robert Roy Britt
Posted on 03/18/2004 2:00:00 PM PST by LibWhacker
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1100694/posts


2 posted on 02/13/2009 7:55:00 PM PST by SunkenCiv (https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/____________________ Profile updated Monday, January 12, 2009)
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To: KevinDavis; annie laurie; garbageseeker; Knitting A Conundrum; Viking2002; Ernest_at_the_Beach; ...
 
X-Planets
· join · view topics · view or post blog · bookmark · post new topic ·
Google news searches: exoplanet · exosolar · extrasolar ·

3 posted on 02/13/2009 7:55:25 PM PST by SunkenCiv (https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/____________________ Profile updated Monday, January 12, 2009)
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To: SunkenCiv

Interesting. You couldn’t hide a lage planet in the Kuiper belt but the Ort Cloud is out about 2 light years.


4 posted on 02/13/2009 7:57:07 PM PST by cripplecreek (The poor bastards have us surrounded.)
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To: SunkenCiv

5 posted on 02/13/2009 8:04:48 PM PST by JoeProBono (A closed mouth gathers no feet)
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To: SunkenCiv
“believe”, “computer modelling”, “might”, “may”, “suggest”, “probably”, probability”, “eventually”.

Sounds like the “stimulus” package, huh”

6 posted on 02/13/2009 8:18:29 PM PST by ryan71 (TERM LIMITS!!!!)
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To: SunkenCiv

*sigh* maybe we should all move to one, now that Porkulus has passed...


7 posted on 02/13/2009 8:20:22 PM PST by To Hell With Poverty (The War on Poverty is over. Poverty won. - Howie Carr)
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To: SunkenCiv

>>he angle of Uranus’s rotation suggested it had been struck by an object <<

I bet that hurt...


8 posted on 02/13/2009 8:21:01 PM PST by gondramB (Preach the Gospel at all times, and when necessary, use words.)
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To: SunkenCiv
The Oort Cloud is hypothetical. It has never been directly observed.

Cordially,

9 posted on 02/13/2009 8:33:59 PM PST by Diamond
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To: SunkenCiv
I really like the Forensic Investigations.

I used to like the Red Planet but now....

but now the red head....Need I say more!

10 posted on 02/13/2009 8:49:02 PM PST by Young Werther (Julius Caesar (Quae Cum Ita Sunt. Since these things are so.))
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To: SunkenCiv

So now we just have to figure out how to manuver one of those puppies into an habitable orbit without smashing our home in the process.


11 posted on 02/13/2009 9:22:11 PM PST by DannyTN
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To: SunkenCiv


Dr Stern said the angle of Uranus’s rotation suggested it had been struck by an object three to five times the mass of Earth at some time in its history...”

Wow.


12 posted on 02/13/2009 10:37:15 PM PST by WoofDog123
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To: gondramB

For that matter, it must hurt when Uranus is rotating. Let’s ask Barney Frank!


13 posted on 02/14/2009 7:19:27 AM PST by SunkenCiv (https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/____________________ Profile updated Monday, January 12, 2009)
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To: Diamond

/bingo

OTOH, we have literally never had the capability to see it — so far. von Oort postulated its existence in order to straighten out equations derived from his own preferred hypothesis of Solar System origin.

My humble opinion is, there is no Oort Cloud per se. But there will be outer planets — most or all of which move in retrograde, as well as many being out of the ecliptic — and perhaps a wide, flat belt (more like a hat brim) of smaller, and probably captured, bodies.


14 posted on 02/14/2009 7:23:34 AM PST by SunkenCiv (https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/____________________ Profile updated Monday, January 12, 2009)
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To: WoofDog123
:') Definitely wow.
Spitzer Sees the Aftermath of a Planetary Collision

15 posted on 02/14/2009 7:27:12 AM PST by SunkenCiv (https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/____________________ Profile updated Monday, January 12, 2009)
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To: To Hell With Poverty

We’ll probably be force-marched there.


16 posted on 02/14/2009 7:27:59 AM PST by SunkenCiv (https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/____________________ Profile updated Monday, January 12, 2009)
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To: SunkenCiv

HA.


17 posted on 02/14/2009 7:29:14 AM PST by To Hell With Poverty (The War on Poverty is over. Poverty won. - Howie Carr)
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To: DannyTN

:’)


18 posted on 02/14/2009 7:30:22 AM PST by SunkenCiv (https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/____________________ Profile updated Monday, January 12, 2009)
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To: 75thOVI; aimhigh; Alice in Wonderland; AndrewC; aragorn; aristotleman; Avoiding_Sulla; BBell; ...
Dr Stern said the angle of Uranus's rotation suggested it had been struck by an object three to five times the mass of Earth at some time in its history...
 
Catastrophism
 
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19 posted on 02/14/2009 7:31:12 AM PST by SunkenCiv (https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/____________________ Profile updated Monday, January 12, 2009)
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To: SunkenCiv

“We’ll probably be force-marched there.”

May the force be with you.

Me, I think I would rather die fighting.


20 posted on 02/14/2009 7:34:51 AM PST by bigheadfred (FREE EVAN VELA, freeevanvela.com)
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