Latest news with #AKARI
Yahoo
04-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
A strange object 65 billion miles from sun could be the elusive Planet Nine
Just because Pluto was ruled out as a planet in 2006 doesn't mean our solar system only has eight planets. The search for Planet Nine is far from over as scientists continue to uncover clues suggesting something massive may still be lurking in the distant dark beyond Neptune. Now, a team of international scientists has identified a promising Planet Nine candidate by comparing infrared surveys of the sky taken with a 23-year gap. The object appears to have shifted position over time, just what is expected from a distant planet slowly orbiting the sun. This is probably the most convincing evidence for Planet Nine so far. It is believed that this planet is five to ten times bigger than Earth and has an orbit wildly different from the known planets. In 2021, British astronomer Michael Rowan-Robinson combed through old data from NASA's Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS), which scanned the sky in 1983. He spotted a possible Planet Nine candidate with an estimated mass of three to five times that of Earth at around 225 AU from the sun (1 AU is the Earth-sun distance). However, that object wasn't seen in any other dataset and remains unconfirmed. Recently, Patrick Phan (lead researcher of the current study) and his team took a new approach. They matched IRAS data with images from Japan's AKARI satellite, taken in 2006. In one IRAS image, they spotted an object. It wasn't in the same place when AKARI later looked, but AKARI did detect an object just 47.4 arcminutes (a bit less than one degree) away, consistent with how far Planet Nine could have drifted in its orbit over 23 years. This kind of motion is crucial because if something is moving that slowly, it's likely very far away and possibly orbiting the sun. What makes this finding stronger than earlier ones is that it shows up in two different infrared sky surveys—IRAS and AKARI—taken decades apart. Based on how bright the object appears in both datasets, the researchers estimate it could be even more massive than Neptune. That's surprising because the team was originally looking for something smaller—maybe a super-Earth. Yet, it fits the expectations for Planet Nine's estimated mass and distance better than anything found so far. Moreover, its suspected orbit is wildly different from the known planets. While Neptune orbits the sun at 30 AU (about 4.5 billion kilometers), Planet Nine might swing between 280 (closest distance from the sun) and 1,120 AU (farthest distance), up to 105 billion kilometers (65 billion miles) away. That's over 700 times farther than the sun is from Earth. Such a bizarre orbit raises many questions: Did this planet form with the rest of the solar system? Or was it captured from another star long ago? The possibility of finding a new planet in our own solar system is thrilling. If confirmed, Planet Nine would be the first planet discovered in modern times that wasn't found by accident or by studying close-up orbits. It would be revealed through indirect evidence, almost like spotting a ghost by the way it moves things around. However, the current study only suggests a possible candidate, and further evidence is needed to confirm its existence. 'The verification of Planet Nine's existence via future observational studies will contribute to our understanding of the evolution and structural dynamics of the solar system,' the study authors note. Unfortunately, NASA's more recent WISE (Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer) sky surveys didn't pick up this object, but Phan suggests that this might be because the planet has moved from its 2006 position. Without knowing its exact orbit, it's impossible to say where it is now. He is hopeful that future observations will validate the findings from his research. The study will soon be published in the journal Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia.
Time of India
03-05-2025
- Science
- Time of India
A 9th planet in our solar system? Scientists finally find a potential candidate to ‘replace' Pluto
The empty seat on the 9th row might just be filled! There possibly is a 9th planet after all (and a replacement for Pluto )! Researchers have *finally* found a candidate for the hypothetical Planet Nine , which could be an undiscovered giant planet way out in our solar system. Read on to find out more about the potential candidate! The 9th planet! It's been almost two decades since our solar system lost its 9th planet. Pluto was officially reclassified from a planet to a dwarf planet by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) in August 2006. While Pluto orbits the Sun and is large enough to be spherical due to gravity, it is not big enough to gravitationally dominate its orbital region, meaning other objects share its path in the Kuiper Belt. Pluto was reclassified as a dwarf planet in 2006 by the IAU because it failed to meet the third criterion for being a planet: it did not "clear its neighborhood" around its orbit. Nearly two decades after that, astronomers claim that they may have found new evidence that points to a celestial body that could be a possible candidate as "Planet Nine," according to a new paper, which has been accepted for publication in the Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia but not yet peer-reviewed. What do the researchers say? Astronomers engaged in the search for a hypothetical ninth planet in our solar system have identified a promising candidate situated well beyond Neptune, according to a recent preprint study. This finding may represent the first substantial evidence of the long theorized Planet Nine, which, if confirmed, would be a large, yet-to-be-discovered world orbiting the sun at a considerable distance. However, the prospect of Planet Nine remains a debated topic within the scientific community, and skepticism surrounds the new findings. The potential planetary candidate was detected while researchers analyzed archival data from two decommissioned satellites: the Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS), operational in 1983, and the AKARI satellite, which functioned from 2006 to 2011. The team was specifically looking for distant objects exhibiting slow movement characteristic of a large planet's orbit. After dismissing known celestial objects, they focused on a shortlist of candidates and ultimately identified what they referred to as "one good candidate." This candidate appeared as a consistent dot in infrared images from both satellites, indicative of a single object. Study lead author Terry Phan, a doctoral student in astronomy at the National Tsing Hua University in Taiwan, expressed excitement over the discovery, noting its motivational impact on the research team. Their findings were shared on the preprint server arXiv on April 24 and have been accepted for publication in the journal Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia. Who is the potential candidate for the 9th planet? According to the paper, the hidden candidate is likely the size of Neptune and is so far away that it could take between 10,000 and 20,000 years to orbit the sun. The criteria to be a Planet: For a celestial body to be classified as a planet, the IAU defines, it must meet three criteria: it must orbit a star, it must be massive enough to have achieved hydrostatic equilibrium (meaning it is round or nearly round), and it must have cleared its orbital neighborhood, meaning it is the dominant gravitational body in its orbit. Is Planet Nine the replacement for Pluto? Despite this progress, some experts remain unconvinced. Notably, Caltech astronomer Mike Brown, who originally proposed the Planet Nine hypothesis alongside a colleague in 2016, has expressed doubts regarding the infrared signals' connection to the elusive planet. Brown analyzed the orbit of the candidate and concluded that its tilt—approximately 120 degrees from the Solar System's plane—deviates significantly from the predicted tilt for Planet Nine, which should be around 15 to 20 degrees. This discrepancy suggests the object may not significantly influence the orbits of other known planets. The predictive position of Planet Nine is designed to account for the irregular orbits observed among some objects in the Kuiper Belt at the outer edges of our solar system. However, many researchers contest the notion that an undiscovered planet is responsible for these anomalies, and direct observational evidence for Planet Nine's existence remains elusive. If Planet Nine does exist, predictions indicate that it would be considerably larger than Earth, orbiting the sun in a distant and unusual path. The vast distance from the sun makes detection particularly challenging, complicating efforts to confirm or refute its existence. Follow-up observations are necessary to refine the orbit of the identified candidate. Brown has suggested that if the infrared signal indicates a planet, it would contradict the existence of the originally hypothesized Planet Nine, as their orbits would likely destabilize each other. Evidence of ninth planet found in solar system
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Astronomers Have Found a Prime Candidate for the Elusive Planet 9
Scientists examined infrared space surveys to narrow down candidates for Planet 9. Planet 9 would be so far from the Sun that it is just not illuminated by much sunlight. The two space surveys, conducted 23 years apart, could show how a secret planet orbits. Since the demotion of Pluto to dwarf planet, there's been a ninth-planet-shaped hole in the hearts of many Earthlings. How will we remember what My Very Excellent Mother Just Served Us now?Well, if we're lucky, we may soon be able to fill that gap. For some time now, scientists have wondered if a regular planet—not a dwarf planet—could explain some of the clustering of objects in the Kuiper Belt that starts at Neptune and extends outward from our Solar System. (Pluto is considered a Kuiper Belt object.) This hypothetical Planet 9 has never been directly observed and remains theoretical, but in new research uploaded to the preprint site arXiV, scientists share a very educated guess about the location of the long-theorized celestial body. (This study is not yet peer reviewed, but it follows a presentation from a 2024 conference and is listed as 'Accepted for publication in Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia (PASA).') To search for Planet 9, the scientists 'search[ed] for objects that moved slowly between IRAS and AKARI detections.' IRAS and AKARI are far-infrared, all-sky surveys completed 23 years apart. Though Planet 9 has never been confirmed, we know a lot about what a planet in its suspected area could be like. The team used qualities like this—such as a very long orbit around the Sun, feasible temperatures, and probable masses—to narrow down the IRAS dataset and the AKARI dataset separately. They then highlighted 13 total bodies that fit the criteria and showed up in both datasets, accounting for changes in epochs and positions in orbit. From there, they inspected the surveys' images and found one eligible bachelor... er, planet. The scientists are careful to explain that the criteria they chose would not necessarily identify the only possible candidates for Planet 9. For instance, if Planet 9 is over the size constraints they placed on their study, it's still likely to be picked up at some point by infrared surveys like this. It could also be a gas giant-type planet on par with or larger than Neptune. But if it's smaller, it's likely below the threshold of observability at such a long range. And long range is, honestly, underselling it—top theories for the positioning of Planet 9 place it around 400 astronomical units (AU). The furthest known planet, Neptune, is only about 31 AU. That's already 31 times further than Earth is from the Sun, creating an orbit that lasts about 165 years. Planet 9 would also have an irregular orbit, scientists believe, so it would spent part of its cycle even further away. This is why two surveys conducted 23 years apart may just be the perfect way to observe Planet 9. In that amount of time, the planet itself will have completed just a tiny fraction of its overall orbit—enough to travel from one spot into the adjacent spot on the subsequent survey. But a lot of other factors would need to line up exactly in order for this candidate to be the real Planet 9, and the scientists are transparent about that. 'The finalist of our Planet Nine candidate pair strongly depends on how the characteristics of Planet Nine are defined. [I]f the actual mass of Planet Nine is not sufficient to make its flux above the detection limits of two surveys, there is no chance of finding Planet Nine in this work.' This group took a stab at observing Planet 9 using the IRAS and AKARI infrared surveys, which can 'see' further than telescopes using the visible spectrum. And indeed, while the odds of actually finding the elusive planet here may be more like the odds of buying a winning lottery ticket, the work opens several next steps for other teams investigating Planet 9. The data may also help narrow down parameters for those using other tools. 'If the existence of Planet Nine can be confirmed by observations in the near future, it will improve our understanding of the history and structure of the entire Solar System in early stages,' the team concludes. And it would get Pluto yet another big sibling. You Might Also Like The Do's and Don'ts of Using Painter's Tape The Best Portable BBQ Grills for Cooking Anywhere Can a Smart Watch Prolong Your Life?
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Could the Milky Way have 9 planets after all? Astronomers may have confirmed possible existence.
Our solar system may have a ninth planet after all, researchers say. The possibility that an additional planet may be hidden far into the solar system was touted more than a century ago. But astronomers may have found new evidence that points to a celestial body that could be a possible candidate as "Planet Nine," according to a new paper, which has been accepted for publication in the Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia but not yet peer-reviewed. MORE: Exoplanet discovered in 2020 has the coldest temperatures ever measured, scientists say The hidden candidate is likely the size of Neptune and is so far away that it could take between 10,000 and 20,000 years to orbit the sun, according to the paper. Two deep infrared surveys taken 23 years apart measured the object's orbital motion. In 1983, the Infrared Astronomy Satellite surveyed the universe for a year. In 2006, the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency launched the infrared satellite AKARI, which was active until 2011. Researchers at the University in Taiwan compared objects that were observed in the IRAS database with the data obtained by AKARI to see if there were any movements within that time frame. The candidate for Planet Nine displayed a tiny amount of movement, which could mean it advanced further in its orbit around the sun. Some of the strongest evidence that points to the existence of a planet within the outskirts of the solar system is the activity within the Kuiper Belt, an unusual clustering of icy bodies -- including comets and dwarf planets -- which stretches from Neptune and outward toward interstellar space. MORE: Several planets found orbiting star less than 6 light-years away Six known objects in the Kuiper Belt have elliptical orbits pointing in the same direction. In addition, objects from the Kuiper Belt orbit in the opposite direction from everything else in the solar system, according to NASA. This could be the result of a gravitational pull from a nearby planet, the researchers said. Moreover, the object reflects just a faint amount of sunlight, furthering the likelihood that it is, indeed, a planet, according to the study. The International Astronomical Union downgraded Pluto's classification to a dwarf planet in 2006, mainly because other objects might cross its orbit. Pluto was previously considered to be the ninth planet in our solar system, but the new definition of a planet requires the celestial body to have enough gravity to clear its orbital path from other bodies. MORE: Binary star system found near the Milky Way's black hole: An 'amazing' discovery, astrophysicists say There are currently several lines of observational evidence pointing to the existence of Planet Nine, according to NASA. The surveys did not provide enough data to determine the full orbit of the planetary candidate, meaning more observations will be needed, the researchers said. Could the Milky Way have 9 planets after all? Astronomers may have confirmed possible existence. originally appeared on
02-05-2025
- Science
Could the Milky Way have 9 planets after all? Astronomers may have confirmed possible existence.
Our solar system may have a ninth planet after all, researchers say. The possibility that an additional planet may be hidden far into the solar system was touted more than a century ago. But astronomers may have found new evidence that points to a celestial body that could be a possible candidate as "Planet Nine," according to a new paper, which has been accepted for publication in the Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia but not yet peer-reviewed. The hidden candidate is likely the size of Neptune and is so far away that it could take between 10,000 and 20,000 years to orbit the sun, according to the paper. Two deep infrared surveys taken 23 years apart measured the object's orbital motion. In 1983, the Infrared Astronomy Satellite surveyed the universe for a year. In 2006, the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency launched the infrared satellite AKARI, which was active until 2011. Researchers at the University in Taiwan compared objects that were observed in the IRAS database with the data obtained by AKARI to see if there were any movements within that time frame. The candidate for Planet Nine displayed a tiny amount of movement, which could mean it advanced further in its orbit around the sun. Some of the strongest evidence that points to the existence of a planet within the outskirts of the solar system is the activity within the Kuiper Belt, an unusual clustering of icy bodies -- including comets and dwarf planets -- which stretches from Neptune and outward toward interstellar space. Six known objects in the Kuiper Belt have elliptical orbits pointing in the same direction. In addition, objects from the Kuiper Belt orbit in the opposite direction from everything else in the solar system, according to NASA. This could be the result of a gravitational pull from a nearby planet, the researchers said. Moreover, the object reflects just a faint amount of sunlight, furthering the likelihood that it is, indeed, a planet, according to the study. The International Astronomical Union downgraded Pluto's classification to a dwarf planet in 2006, mainly because other objects might cross its orbit. Pluto was previously considered to be the ninth planet in our solar system, but the new definition of a planet requires the celestial body to have enough gravity to clear its orbital path from other bodies. There are currently several lines of observational evidence pointing to the existence of Planet Nine, according to NASA. The surveys did not provide enough data to determine the full orbit of the planetary candidate, meaning more observations will be needed, the researchers said.
