Tweet
A newly discovered asteroid’s unusual orbit supports the idea that a massive planet lurks in the far reaches of the solar system
An enormous planet containing 10 times the mass of the Earth could explain the unusual orbit of a newly discovered asteroid. If found, the giant world would represent the first discovery of a planet in our solar system since Pluto in 1930, and before that Neptune in 1846. (Pluto was subsequently downgraded from planet to “dwarf planet” in 2006.)
The asteroid in question is called 2015 BP519. It was discovered three years ago at fifty-five times the Earth’s distance to the sun. Since that time, a group of astronomers led by Juliette Becker of the University of Michigan have been tracking it.
They now conclude the space rock is following a highly unusual orbit that is most easily explained if the gravity of a large – as yet unseen – planet has pulled it into place.
(snip)
An enormous planet containing 10 times the mass of the Earth could explain the unusual orbit of a newly discovered asteroid. If found, the giant world would represent the first discovery of a planet in our solar system since Pluto in 1930, and before that Neptune in 1846. (Pluto was subsequently downgraded from planet to “dwarf planet” in 2006.)
The asteroid in question is called 2015 BP519. It was discovered three years ago at fifty-five times the Earth’s distance to the sun. Since that time, a group of astronomers led by Juliette Becker of the University of Michigan have been tracking it.
They now conclude the space rock is following a highly unusual orbit that is most easily explained if the gravity of a large – as yet unseen – planet has pulled it into place.
(snip)
What I'm wondering though is this: if there is another planet, and it's rather ginormous one indeed, then why haven't we already found it? I mean, afaik we even found planets far, far away...so what is the difficulty here?
There's some hints at the end of the article that we'd need to find some more "unusual" asteroids like the one mentioned inda quote above, but don't we have other means to locate planets in our own system?
(I'm semi-outraged -- imagine space aliens have a staging ground for an invasion already in our system and we have no idea 'bout it
No, but it was a serious question)
Comment