Just in:
Emirati Aid Reaches Ukraine as Food Shortages Bite // Saudi Arabia Unveils Green Financing Tool to Achieve Net-Zero Goals // Hong Kong Crypto Exchange Application Stalled by US Lawsuit // Samsung Partners National Heritage Board to Bring a Slice of Singapore’s Cultural Heritage to Samsung The Frame TV // No running of govt from jail, says Delhi Lt Governor // Infineon and HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering jointly develop ship electrification technology // AIA Hong Kong Wins More Than 20 Accolades at MPF Ratings MPF Awards, BENCHMARK MPF of The Year Awards and Bloomberg Businessweek Top Fund Awards // Samsung Electronics Launches 2024 Neo QLED 8K, Neo QLED, and OLED Displays to Spark the AI Screen Era // Andertoons by Mark Anderson for Thu, 28 Mar 2024 // Global Audience to Witness Thrill of Dubai World Cup // German Job Market Resilience Bodes Well for Economic Recovery // Hope for Respite as UAE Endorses UN Plea for Gaza Truce // Digital Hub Unveiled: Xposure Launches Platform for Global Photography Community // Sharjah Chamber Breaks Ground on Final Expansion with New HQ Pact // French Leaders Gather for Interfaith Iftar Dinner // Ajman Celebrates Conclusion of Ramadan Activities with Grand Ceremony // New Nylon Constant Torque Hinge From Southco Provides Position Control In A Compact Package // Following the Money Trail: US and UK Investigate $20 Billion in USDT Transfers Tied to Sanctioned Russian Exchange // Andertoons by Mark Anderson for Fri, 29 Mar 2024 // Experience Ultimate Shopping Freedom at 4.4 Shopee Spree: Don’t Worry, Shop Shopee! //
HomeOff the CuffWas Planet 9 once an exoplanet; stolen by our sun

Was Planet 9 once an exoplanet; stolen by our sun

Through a computer-simulated study, astronomers at Lund University in Sweden show that it is highly likely that the so-called Planet 9 is an exoplanet. This would make it the first exoplanet to be discovered inside our own solar system. The theory is that our sun, in its youth some 4.5 billion years ago, stole Planet 9 from its original star.

An extrasolar planet, or exoplanet, is by definition a planet located outside our solar system. Now it appears that this definition is no longer viable. According to astronomers in Lund, there is a lot to indicate that Planet 9 was captured by the young sun and has been a part of our solar system completely undetected ever since.

“It is almost ironic that while astronomers often find exoplanets hundreds of light years away in other solar systems, there’s probably one hiding in our own backyard,” says Alexander Mustill, astronomer at Lund University.

ADVERTISEMENT

Stars are born in clusters and often pass by one another. It is during these encounters that a star can “steal” one or more planets in orbit around another star. This is probably what happened when our own sun captured Planet 9.

In a computer-simulated model, Alexander together with astronomers in Lund and Bordeaux has shown that Planet 9 was probably captured by the sun when coming in close contact while orbiting another star.

“Planet 9 may very well have been ‘shoved’ by other planets, and when it ended up in an orbit that was too wide around its own star, our sun may have taken the opportunity to steal and capture Planet 9 from its original star. When the sun later departed from the stellar cluster in which it was born, Planet 9 was stuck in an orbit around the sun,” says Alexander Mustill.

“There is still no image of Planet 9, not even a point of light. We don’t know if it is made up of rock, ice, or gas. All we know is that its mass is probably around ten times the mass of earth.”

It requires a lot more research before it can be ascertained that Planet 9 is the first exoplanet in our solar system. If the theory is correct, Alexander Mustill believes that the study of space and the understanding of the sun and the Earth will take a giant leap forward.

“This is the only exoplanet that we, realistically, would be able to reach using a space probe,” he says.

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVSEK9yvr3s

Story Source:

The above post is reprinted from materials provided by Lund University. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

Let’s block ads! (Why?)

(via WSJ Blogs)

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT
Just in:
U.S. Compliance Takes Center Stage at OKX Following Industry Jitters // French Leaders Gather for Interfaith Iftar Dinner // New Nylon Constant Torque Hinge From Southco Provides Position Control In A Compact Package // German Job Market Resilience Bodes Well for Economic Recovery // CABSAT 2024 Ushers in 30 Years of Media Innovation // US reiterates concern over Kejriwal arrest, Cong accounts // AIA Hong Kong Wins More Than 20 Accolades at MPF Ratings MPF Awards, BENCHMARK MPF of The Year Awards and Bloomberg Businessweek Top Fund Awards // Sunshine’s Debut Features Leave Tech World Scratching Its Head // Hong Kong Crypto Exchange Application Stalled by US Lawsuit // Universal Language for Healthcare: General Authority Embraces Global Coding System // Digital Hub Unveiled: Xposure Launches Platform for Global Photography Community // Infineon and HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering jointly develop ship electrification technology // Ingdan Announces 2023 Annual Results // Samsung Electronics Launches 2024 Neo QLED 8K, Neo QLED, and OLED Displays to Spark the AI Screen Era // Sharjah Chamber Breaks Ground on Final Expansion with New HQ Pact // Global Audience to Witness Thrill of Dubai World Cup // Samsung Partners National Heritage Board to Bring a Slice of Singapore’s Cultural Heritage to Samsung The Frame TV // Hope for Respite as UAE Endorses UN Plea for Gaza Truce // 2024 Lok Sabha Elections Will Be The Costliest One Till Now In The Whole World // Experience Ultimate Shopping Freedom at 4.4 Shopee Spree: Don’t Worry, Shop Shopee! //