Is the solar system there are two additional planets? – Money.pl

2015-01-20 16:50

[Photo: sxc / cc / flaivoloka]

Two researchers from the University of Madrid, the results of analyzes conducted orbit farthest known object beyond the orbit of Neptune. On the basis of the researchers speculate that in the solar system may have two unknown, very distant planet. The results published in the scientific journal ,, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society Letters “.

Currently, astronomers believe that the solar system have eight planets from Mercury to Neptune. The question of the possible existence of additional planets beyond Neptune, and until recently considered to be full-fledged planet Pluto, is the subject of debate among astronomers for decades.

In 2012, the discovery of an object with a designation 2012 VP113, which in the farthest point of the orbit can be up to 446 times farther from the Sun than the Earth. Little is known about its properties, it may be appropriate to the group of so-called. dwarf planets. Such findings stimulate discussion about the existence of the solar system on the edge of the unknown potential of larger objects – planets.

The two researchers from Spain, Carlos de la Fuente Marcos and Raul de la Fuente Marcos, analyzed the distribution of objects outside the orbit of Neptune. This area is called the Kuiper belt and can be compared to the asteroid belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. More precisely, analyzed observations of the most distant objects of this type, so-called. ethno, from the English term ,, trans-Neptunion extreme objects “(,, very distant objects transneptunowe”).

In theory, these bodies should be distributed randomly or in a range of permissible orbits. However, several objects have orbits completely unexpected, when you consider the gravitational interactions of other known objects.

Professor Carlos de la Fuente Marcos from the University of Madrid, Spain believes that the surplus objects with unusual orbit parameters means that does not affect anything. According to the scientist most likely explanation may be the presence of unknown planets beyond the orbits of Neptune and Pluto.

Researchers analyzed so. Reversing mechanism Kozai, also called mechanism-consolidated-Kozai. This effect causes a large body interferes with a smaller orbit, which is further away. This effect was first described in 1961 by the Soviet scientist Mikhail-consolidated, and a year later independently by a Japanese researcher Yoshinide Kozai.

On the basis of its Spanish model calculated that the planet may be at distances of 200 and 250 astronomical units. Astronomical unit is the average distance of the Earth from the Sun, which is a potential planets are 200 and 250 times farther away from our daily star than the Earth. For comparison, the orbit of Neptune takes about 30 astronomical units from the Sun and Pluto – 39 astronomical units. (PAP)

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