A New Planet?
By: Madeline Patrick
Astronomers believe that they may have discovered a ninth planet in our solar system. Konstantin Batygin and Mike Brown of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in Pasadena are planetary scientists, who have detailed analyses of the orbits of other distant planets to back up their new discovery. “If you say, ‘We have evidence for Planet X,’ almost any astronomer will say, ‘This again? These guys are clearly crazy.’ I would, too,” Brown says. “Why is this different? This is different because this time we’re right.”
This “Planet X” was thought to once be part of our solar system but was “bounced out” of the plant forming region. It is believed to be the size of Neptune and only orbits around the sun every 15,000 years. According to scienceag.org, the planet was “slowed down by gas, [and] the planet settled into a distant elliptical orbit, where it still lurks today”.
The scientist’s findings were taken skeptically, but after the math was checked, the science community became excited and hopeful. Gregory Laughlin, a planetary scientist at the University of California (UC), Santa Cruz, said, “I could not imagine a bigger deal if—and of course that’s a boldface ‘if’—if it turns out to be right. What’s thrilling about it is [the planet] is detectable”.
If Planet X isn’t too good to be true, it could be one of the greatest astronomical findings of the decade. For more information the scientific advantage check out: http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2016/01/feature-astronomers-say-neptune-sized-planet-lurks-unseen-solar-system
By: Madeline Patrick
Astronomers believe that they may have discovered a ninth planet in our solar system. Konstantin Batygin and Mike Brown of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in Pasadena are planetary scientists, who have detailed analyses of the orbits of other distant planets to back up their new discovery. “If you say, ‘We have evidence for Planet X,’ almost any astronomer will say, ‘This again? These guys are clearly crazy.’ I would, too,” Brown says. “Why is this different? This is different because this time we’re right.”
This “Planet X” was thought to once be part of our solar system but was “bounced out” of the plant forming region. It is believed to be the size of Neptune and only orbits around the sun every 15,000 years. According to scienceag.org, the planet was “slowed down by gas, [and] the planet settled into a distant elliptical orbit, where it still lurks today”.
The scientist’s findings were taken skeptically, but after the math was checked, the science community became excited and hopeful. Gregory Laughlin, a planetary scientist at the University of California (UC), Santa Cruz, said, “I could not imagine a bigger deal if—and of course that’s a boldface ‘if’—if it turns out to be right. What’s thrilling about it is [the planet] is detectable”.
If Planet X isn’t too good to be true, it could be one of the greatest astronomical findings of the decade. For more information the scientific advantage check out: http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2016/01/feature-astronomers-say-neptune-sized-planet-lurks-unseen-solar-system