As of: February 10, 2024, 7:05 p.m
By: Kilian Bäuml
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According to an astrophysicist, there are still unknown planets at the edge of the solar system that are significantly different from other planets.
Munich – Most people who are interested in space know that there are eight planets in our solar system.
But according to new calculations, there could be at least a ninth planet on the edge of the solar system.
According to astrophysicist Amir Siraj from Princeton University, the probability of this is actually quite high.
The results of his calculations were published on the specialist portal
The Astrophysical Journal Letters
.
Although the planet in question is said to be larger than Mercury, it is still not visible because one thing distinguishes it from all other planets in our solar system.
Astrophysicist says unknown planets 'probably exist in the outer solar system'
“We have shown, based on a simple theoretical argument, that captured terrestrial planets likely exist in the outer solar system,” the astrophysicist writes in the study.
The outer solar system is so far from the Sun that telescopes currently cannot see what is there.
But we now know that there is a field of icy rocks that extend beyond the orbit of Neptune - the outermost planet of our solar system.
According to an astrophysicist's calculations, there are still unknown planets at the outermost edge of the solar system.
(Symbolic image) © Kevin M. Gill/dpa
This field is referred to as the Kuiper Belt, in which, among other things, the dwarf planet Pluto is located.
Even further from the sun, the hypothetical Oort cloud could be located.
This is a huge spherical field of rocks that surround the entire solar system and the size of which is unknown.
Researchers assume that long-period comets come from there, i.e. comets that take over 100 years to orbit the sun.
According to Siraj, there is said to be at least one planet there that cannot be seen and simply floats in the cold darkness of the universe.
Calculations on previously unknown planets: They are said to be five times larger than Mercury
According to the theoretical astrophysicist's calculations, there could be 1.2 planets whose mass is five times greater than that of Mercury, the smallest planet in our solar system.
Conjectures about this began with the discovery of so-called free-floating planets in 2000. These free-floating planets - also called rogue planets - have broken away from their star and are floating untethered through the galaxy.
Some researchers believe that “Planet 9” is one such planet that left our solar system.
The instability required to break away from the home system is said to be generated quite easily by gravitational interactions.
This could mean that there are even multiple planets simply floating through space.
However, it is not yet known how often this actually occurs.
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Free-floating planets in the universe: could the sun capture them with its gravitational pull?
However, the free-floating planets do not always remain unbound - if they float close enough to a star, they are attracted by its gravity.
The same could happen with the gravitational pull of the sun.
Researchers suspect there are many free-floating planets in the Milky Way.
Using these estimates and other estimates of stars that capture free-floating planets, Siraj calculated the probability of the Sun capturing planets.
The astrophysicist further explains in the study: “Future work should include simulations that examine in more detail the capture and retention of free-floating planets as well as planets bound to other stars.” This is intended to improve the probability of the orbital plane and position of the captured planets.