Thursday, May 31, 2018

Astronomers May Finally Have Evidence Of ‘Planet Nine’ In Solar System

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https://www.inquisitr.com/4919394/astronomers-may-finally-have-evidence-of-planet-nine-in-solar-system/

Astronomers May Finally Have Evidence Of ‘Planet Nine’ In Solar System

MARK WILSON / GETTY IMAGES
Astronomers have detected new evidence of a possible “Planet Nine” in our solar system, though fans of Pluto will be disappointed to learn that the object in question is roughly four times the size of the Earth, possessing nearly 10 times its mass. A new study is giving credence to the belief that this as-of-now mysterious Planet Nine is influencing the behavior of other objects in our solar system, though scientists have yet to come to a consensus about whether this mysterious orbiting mass really exists.
According to the study published earlier in May, this so-called Planet Nine is likely influencing the gravitation behavior of other objects in our solar system, though the vast reaches of space and the continued jockeying over limited observing resources continue to present hurdles to researchers trying to prove with certainty that a ninth planet exists in our solar system. By examining the orbits of smaller icy objects zooming through the solar system, researchers at Caltech are fairly confident that they can eventually gather enough evidence to make a case that our solar system has a new planetary member.
According to reporting by Live Science, speculation about a ninth planet, an icy giant, has existed since the Middle Ages, when some researchers claim tapestries were woven with evidence of the ninth celestial body. According to researchers with Queen’s University Belfast, old scrolls and tapestries could contain the evidence that hyper-modern research has yet to find.
“We have a wealth of historical records of comets in Old English, Old Irish, Latin and Russian which have been overlooked for a long time,” university medievalist Marilina Cesario told Live Science.
Planet nine close to confirmation
 Mark Wilson / Getty Images
Despite the possibility of answers lying hidden in our past, however, contemporary researchers are likely to keep most of their focus on the stars above. Pedro Lacerda, a Queen’s University astronomer, shed some light on how ancient practices meet with modern scientific marvels in order to elucidate the mysteries of the universe.
“We can take the orbits of comets currently known and use a computer to calculate the times when those comets would be visible in the skies during the Middle Ages,” Lacerda told Live Science.
Does that mean the former planet Pluto will soon be replaced by another addition to our solar system’s planetary bodies? As of now, evidence totally proving Planet Nine’s existence remains to be found, but astronomers are keeping their eyes on the stars.

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