Posted on 01/20/2016 7:52:49 PM PST by Utilizer
Caltech researchers have found evidence of a giant planet tracing a bizarre, highly elongated orbit in the outer solar system. The object, which the researchers have nicknamed Planet Nine, has a mass about 10 times that of Earth and orbits about 20 times farther from the sun on average than does Neptune (which orbits the sun at an average distance of 2.8 billion miles). In fact, it would take this new planet between 10,000 and 20,000 years to make just one full orbit around the sun.
The researchers, Konstantin Batygin and Mike Brown, discovered the planet's existence through mathematical modeling and computer simulations but have not yet observed the object directly.
"This would be a real ninth planet," says Brown, the Richard and Barbara Rosenberg Professor of Planetary Astronomy. "There have only been two true planets discovered since ancient times, and this would be a third. It's a pretty substantial chunk of our solar system that's still out there to be found, which is pretty exciting."
Brown notes that the putative ninth planet--at 5,000 times the mass of Pluto--is sufficiently large that there should be no debate about whether it is a true planet. Unlike the class of smaller objects now known as dwarf planets, Planet Nine gravitationally dominates its neighborhood of the solar system. In fact, it dominates a region larger than any of the other known planets--a fact that Brown says makes it "the most planet-y of the planets in the whole solar system."
Batygin and Brown describe their work in the current issue of the Astronomical Journal and show how Planet Nine helps explain a number of mysterious features of the field of icy objects and debris beyond Neptune known as the Kuiper Belt.
(Excerpt) Read more at phys.org ...
#DwarfPlanetsMatter!
That has always hurt my feelings.
Your empathy for Pluto is a sign of a sensitive soul, one who imbues human qualities of intention and worth into what is non human. Most commonly done with puppies, kittens, mountain ranges and free floating celestial bodies. I do it too, especially with animals or people in an underdog situation.
I doubt that it can keep its orbit clear as directed by the Pluto is not a planet crowd.
...
I’ve read that if the Earth were put in Pluto’s orbit it wouldn’t clear the area either.
There you go. Simple rulz are not likely to rule complex systems. From experience, accurate models are tough.
.
More “Wormwood” crap?
Nibiru is coming...
Planets ain’t there until you see them. If their math is good, finding it should be trivial.
Bingo!
Regards,
Nobody yet has stooped so low to say something like
Now that has been taken care of, for our musical interlude, something nice & sappy;
Earth First!
(we'll log the other planets later)
Thanks Utilizer, good one. There were two (at least) before this, but I’ve added this one to the ping list keyword.
http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/xplanets/index?tab=articles
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/3386254/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/3386190/posts
http://web.gps.caltech.edu/~mbrown/
http://www.mikebrownsplanets.com/
https://twitter.com/plutokiller?lang=en
LOL!
I’m NOT under/over sized!
I’m just dimensionally challenged!
Love it.
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