An undiscovered Earth-like planet could explain the distribution of comets and asteroids in the Kuiper Belt
One of the great puzzles of modern astronomy is whether the Solar System hides a distant undiscovered planet. If this planet were relatively near — orbiting close to or within the orbit of Neptune — it ought to have been discovered by now. But if it were much more distant — orbiting in the Kuiper Belt far beyond the orbit of Neptune, for example — astronomers would find it extremely hard to track down.
Our mysterious neighbor, they conclude, probably orbits at a distance of 250-500 astronomical units and has a mass between 1.5 and 3 times that of our home planet. If they are right, somewhere else in the Solar System there is a planet that is remarkably similar to Earth. So Lykawka and Ito focus on three fundamental properties of trans-Neptunian objects that cannot be explained by the ordinary gravitational nudging of known planets. The first is that a significant proportion of these objects orbit at a distance greater than 40 au, beyond the gravitational influence of Neptune.
And finally, a few trans-Neptunian objects have peculiar orbits that are difficult to produce with conventional models of gravitational nudging. The dwarf planet Sedna, for example, has an exceptionally elongated orbit that takes it from 60 au at its closest approach to almost 1000 au at its most distant.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Oxygen production from volcanic sulfur dioxide photochemistry: A possible trigger for Earth's great oxidation eventThe provenance of oxygen (O2) has been linked to the early Earth's atmospheric and biological evolution. A permanent rise to appreciable concentrations of O2 in the atmosphere, known as the 'Great Oxidation Event (GOE),' was estimated to have occurred at around 2.4 billion years ago. However, the cause of the GOE still remains unclear.
Read more »
Earth, Wind & Fire Tribute Band Hits Back At Trademark Lawsuit: You Abandoned Your NameFaced with accusations that they infringed Earth, Wind & Fire’s name, a “legacy” band has made a bold counter-argument.
Read more »
The Moonshot Heard Round the WorldLessons from India’s frugal moon landing for any business on this earth.
Read more »
OSIRIS-REx: Learn more about the mission that is bringing asteroid samples back to EarthScientists at the University of Arizona are on pins and needles, as a probe carrying samples it collected from an asteroid millions of miles away is set to return the sample to Earth. Here's what to know about the OSIRIS-REx mission.
Read more »
N Korea says simulated 'scorched earth' nuclear strikes on SouthPyongyang's sabre-rattling comes amid South Korean-US military exercises involving American long-range B-1B bombers and fighter jets.
Read more »
North Korea simulates massive 'scorched earth' nuclear attack on South Korea, includes conquering rivalNorth Korea's military launch a massive simulated attack and rehearsed invading South Korea as the US continues joint military drills in the Pacific and over the Korean Peninsula.
Read more »