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Metro
3 days ago
- Science
- Metro
Twist in search for mysterious 'Planet Nine' in the dark depths of our solar system
Scientists hunting for Planet Nine, an elusive planetary body that could change our understanding of the solar system, have found something. Planet X is a hypothetical planet seven times the mass of Earth tucked just behind Pluto. Despite possibly being the fifth most massive planet, scientists have never tracked the white whale of astronomy down – that is, if it even exists. But a trio of American scientists trying to find the elusive gas giant have discovered a new planet… of sorts, a dwarf planet called 2017 OF201. According to a study, which has not been peer-reviewed, 2017 OF201 is roughly 430 miles across, three times smaller than Pluto. The object is an extreme trans-Neptunian object (eTNO), a minor planet that orbits the Sun far beyond Neptune. So far away, in fact, OF201 would take 25,000 Earth years to complete a solar lap. Its orbit even swings out into the Oort Cloud – a sphere of icy comets a trillion miles from the Sun. OF201 can only be observed from Earth 0.5% of the time, making its closest approach to us in 1930 and won't do so again until 26,186. The International Astronomical Union's Minor Planet Center added 2017 OF201 to its database last week. Five other dwarf planets are officially recognised: Pluto, Eris, Ceres and two others beyond Neptune, Haumea and Makemake. The search for a ninth planet in our solar system has been going on for a century. The evidence for it that hunters have long clung to is how six objects – dwarf planets and chunks of ice – have been discovered in the vastly empty outskirts of the solar system. Bizarrely, they huddle together as they orbit, as if something a gassy behemoth of a planet were shepherding them, said Imo Bell, astronomer at the Royal Observatory Greenwich. They told Metro: 'Some astronomers believe that proving the existence of this planet would explain the behaviour of many other eTNOs with highly elliptical orbits clustered on one side of the Sun. 'It's thought that Planet Nine, with a mass of about five Earths, would explain the confined orbits of these eTNOs.' Sihao Cheng of New Jersey's Institute for Advanced Study and Princeton University graduate students, Jiaxuan Li and Eritas Yang, discovered 2017 OF201. They did so by combing through an archive of images of the outskirts of the solar system, taken by the Blanco telescope in Chile, as well as by the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope in Hawaii. Over time, they realised that tiny dots in the images were a single dwarf planet-sized rock with a wide and eccentric orbit. Yang said: 'It must have experienced close encounters with a giant planet, causing it to be ejected to a wide orbit.' Yet the discovery isn't exactly what the team had hoped for, explained Bell, as it's not part of the pack of eTNOs that imply Planet Nine exists. They said: 'The discovery of 2017 OF201 is significant because it's found in a region of the Solar System thought to be empty, and it's presence points to the existence of other similar eTNOs with orbits that challenge ideas about Planet Nine as they are not clustered in the way that has been seen with other eTNOs.' Yang's simulations only considered one proposed orbit of Planet Nine, meaning that the findings don't disprove the planet's existence altogether. Cheng hasn't lost hope, saying that the existence of 2017 OF201 suggests there 'could be another hundred or so other objects with similar orbit and size'. 'They are just too far away to be detectable now,' he added. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Saturn in Aries for the first time since 1999 will impact these five star signs most MORE: Nasa warns of huge solar flares that could cause blackouts on Earth MORE: Here's the best spots to see the Northern Lights tonight
Yahoo
30-03-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Photos show incredible moment solar eclipse was spotted in Greenwich
Photos have captured the incredible moment the solar eclipse was seen above Greenwich's history foot tunnel. The phenomenon occurs when the Moon passes between the Sun and the Earth. The three are not completely aligned, so only part of the Sun is obscured. The eclipse peaked in London at around 11am on Saturday and was visible in parts of the country from between around 10am and noon. The phenomenon occurs when the Moon passes between the Sun and the Earth. (Image: PA) Astronomer Imo Bell, at the Royal Observatory Greenwich, said at 11.15am: 'There's been nothing unexpected, but that's the cool thing, we've known this has been coming for a very long time. 'We have the technology and the understanding of space now to predict these things almost to the second. 'I, along with thousands of people, are watching. I'm in Oxford right now, we reached a bit more than 30% obscurity of the Sun. 'I've heard a lot of people in the UK where they have higher obscurity have bad cloud coverage, though. If you've got good weather, you're pretty lucky.' The eclipse peaked in London at around 11am on Saturday. (Image: PA) Everyday household items came in handy for many people watching the eclipse, with experts warning not to look at the Sun directly to avoid eye damage. The Met Office said earlier on Saturday that southern and eastern areas of the UK would have the best viewing conditions, with cloudier skies in the north and west The next partial solar eclipse visible in the UK will be in August 2026, which is expected to reach 90% obscurity
Telegraph
29-03-2025
- Science
- Telegraph
Partial solar eclipse draws crowds across UK
A partial solar eclipse drew crowds outside across the UK, with part of the Sun obscured by the Moon between 10am and noon on Saturday. The phenomenon, which occurs when the Moon passes between the Sun and the Earth, peaked in London at 11am. Because the star, the planet and its satellite are not perfectly aligned, only part of the Sun is obscured in such an eclipse. Speaking from Lewes in Sussex, at around 11am, Robert Massey, deputy executive director of the Royal Astronomical Society, said: 'There's a really nice crowd of people, everybody's really excited, there's people wearing eclipse glasses, looking through the telescopes we've got set up. 'We're loving it and it's a lot of fun. It's a great public atmosphere, it's a really nice event. There's a huge amount of enthusiasm about it.' He added: 'As expected, the Moon started moving in front of the Sun about an hour ago; it's got a bit under an hour to go and it's blocking out some of the Sun.' He added: 'It's not like the landscape or the light looks different if you're not looking at the eclipse, but if you're looking through a telescope then you see this really obvious bite. 'One of my colleagues here has a colander and through that, you can see little pinholes of the Sun with the bite out of it as well. 'I think you could guess it's running into the tens of thousands watching with events like this, there's local astronomy groups across the UK who are doing it.' Imo Bell, an astronomer at the Royal Observatory Greenwich, said: 'There's been nothing unexpected, but that's the cool thing, we've known this has been coming for a very long time. 'We have the technology and the understanding of space now to predict these things almost to the second.' Speaking at 11.13am from Oxford it said he was watching 'with thousands of people' and the eclipse had 'reached a bit more than 30 per cent obscurity of the Sun' at that time. He added: 'I've heard a lot of people in the UK where they have higher obscurity have bad cloud coverage, though. If you've got good weather, you're pretty lucky.' The Met Office said earlier on Saturday that southern and eastern areas of the UK would have the best viewing conditions, with cloudier skies in the North and West. The next partial solar eclipse visible in the UK will be in August 2026, and is expected to reach 90 per cent obscurity.
The Independent
29-03-2025
- Science
- The Independent
Pictures show stunning glimpse of partial solar eclipse across the UK
People across the UK looked to the skies on Saturday to witness a partial solar eclipse. The celestial event, which happens when the Moon partially obscures the Sun as it passes between the Sun and Earth, was visible in parts of the country between 10am and noon. The eclipse reached its peak in London around 11am. The Met Office said earlier on Saturday that southern and eastern areas of the UK would have the best viewing conditions, with cloudier skies in the north and west. The next partial solar eclipse visible in the UK will be in August 2026, which is expected to reach 90% obscurity. Speaking from the town of Lewes, Sussex, at around 11am, Robert Massey, deputy executive director of the Royal Astronomical Society, said: 'There's a really nice crowd of people, everybody's really excited, there's people wearing eclipse glasses, looking through the telescopes we've got set up. 'We're loving it and it's a lot of fun. It's a great public atmosphere, it's a really nice event. There's a huge amount of enthusiasm about it. 'As expected, the Moon started moving in front of the Sun about an hour ago; it's got a bit under an hour to go and it's blocking out some of the Sun.' He added: 'It's not like the landscape or the light looks different if you're not looking at the eclipse, but if you're looking through a telescope then you see this really obvious bite. 'One of my colleagues here has a colander and through that, you can see little pinholes of the sun with the bite out of it as well. 'I think you could guess it's running into the tens of thousands watching with events like this, there's local astronomy groups across the UK who are doing it.' Astronomer Imo Bell, at the Royal Observatory Greenwich, said at 11.15am: 'There's been nothing unexpected, but that's the cool thing, we've known this has been coming for a very long time. 'We have the technology and the understanding of space now to predict these things almost to the second. 'I, along with thousands of people, are watching. I'm in Oxford right now, we reached a bit more than 30% obscurity of the Sun. 'I've heard a lot of people in the UK where they have higher obscurity have bad cloud coverage, though. If you've got good weather, you're pretty lucky.'
The Independent
29-03-2025
- Science
- The Independent
Skygazers catch glimpse of partial solar eclipse
Skygazers have gathered across the UK to catch a glimpse of the partial solar eclipse. The phenomenon occurs when the Moon passes between the Sun and the Earth. The three are not completely aligned, so only part of the Sun is obscured. The eclipse peaked in London at around 11am on Saturday and was visible in parts of the country from between around 10am and noon. Speaking from the town of Lewes, Sussex, at around 11am, Robert Massey, deputy executive director of the Royal Astronomical Society, said: 'There's a really nice crowd of people, everybody's really excited, there's people wearing eclipse glasses, looking through the telescopes we've got set up. 'We're loving it and it's a lot of fun. It's a great public atmosphere, it's a really nice event. There's a huge amount of enthusiasm about it. 'As expected, the Moon started moving in front of the Sun about an hour ago; it's got a bit under an hour to go and it's blocking out some of the Sun.' He added: 'It's not like the landscape or the light looks different if you're not looking at the eclipse, but if you're looking through a telescope then you see this really obvious bite. 'One of my colleagues here has a colander and through that, you can see little pinholes of the sun with the bite out of it as well. 'I think you could guess it's running into the tens of thousands watching with events like this, there's local astronomy groups across the UK who are doing it.' Astronomer Imo Bell, at the Royal Observatory Greenwich, said at 11.15am: 'There's been nothing unexpected, but that's the cool thing, we've known this has been coming for a very long time. 'We have the technology and the understanding of space now to predict these things almost to the second. 'I, along with thousands of people, are watching. I'm in Oxford right now, we reached a bit more than 30% obscurity of the Sun. 'I've heard a lot of people in the UK where they have higher obscurity have bad cloud coverage, though. If you've got good weather, you're pretty lucky.' The Met Office said earlier on Saturday that southern and eastern areas of the UK would have the best viewing conditions, with cloudier skies in the north and west. The next partial solar eclipse visible in the UK will be in August 2026, which is expected to reach 90% obscurity.
