We will hardly ever be able to explore all of space. The universe is too big. Therefore, in most cases, we will only have to guess what is happening there. On the other hand, we can turn to our physical laws and imagine what kind of cosmic bodies, events and phenomena could really exist in endless cosmic spaces. Scientists often do this. For example, now the scientific community is actively discussing the possibility of the existence of a huge previously unnoticed planet inside the solar system.
Today we'll talk about ten of the strangest and most mysterious objects that, according to scientists, can exist in space.
Toroidal planets
Some scientists do believe that donut-shaped or donut-shaped planets can exist in space, although such objects have never been seen. Such planets are called toroidal, since a "toroid" is a mathematical description of the shape of that very donut. Of course, all the planets that we have encountered before had a spherical shape, since the forces of gravity pull the matter from which they are formed inward to their core. But theoretically, the planets can acquire the shape of a toroid, if the same amount of force is directed from their centers in opposition to gravity.
Interestingly, the laws of physics do not prohibit the appearance of toroidal planets. It's just that the likelihood of their occurrence is extremely small, and such a planet is likely to be unstable on geological time scales due to external disturbances. In general, living on such planets will be at least very uncomfortable.
First, such a planet, according to scientists, will rotate very quickly - a day on it will last only a few hours. Secondly, the forces of gravity will be significantly weaker in the equatorial region and very strong in the polar regions. The climate will also bring its surprises: powerful winds and destructive hurricanes will be frequent here. At the same time, the temperature on the surface of such planets will be very different from those or other regions.
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Moons with their own moons
Scientists believe that satellites of planets may have their own moons that revolve around them in the same way as planetary satellites do. At least in theory, such objects can exist. This is possible, but it requires very specific conditions. If such objects really exist in our solar system, then, most likely, they are located at its far borders. Somewhere outside the orbit of Neptune, where, again according to assumptions, the orbit of the "Ninth Planet" (which we will talk about below) may lie.
Now about the special and extremely specific conditions under which such objects can exist. First, the presence of a large and massive object, for example, a planet, which, by its gravitational effect, will not attract, but push the satellite towards it, is necessary, but not very strongly, since in this case it will simply fall on its surface. Secondly, the satellite of the satellite must be small enough for the moon to capture it.
An object of this kind will not necessarily be isolated. In other words, it will be constantly influenced by the gravitational forces of its "parent" moon, the planet around which this parent moon revolves, as well as the Sun, around which the planet itself revolves. This will create an extremely unstable gravitational environment for the moon's satellite. That is why, in a couple of years, each artificial satellite sent to the Moon left its orbit and fell on its surface.
In general, if such objects really exist, then they should be far beyond the orbit of Neptune, where the influence of the gravitational forces of the Sun is much lower.
Comets without a tail
You probably think that all comets have a tail. However, scientists have found at least one comet without one. True, the researchers are not yet sure if this is really a comet, an asteroid, or some kind of hybrid of both. The object was named Manx (astronomical name C / 2014 S3) and is similar in composition to rocky bodies from the asteroid belt of the solar system.
Let's clarify. Asteroids are mostly rock, comets are made of ice. The Manx object is not considered a real comet, since a rock was found in its composition. At the same time, the object is not considered a pure asteroid, since its surface is covered with ice. The cometary tail is absent in C / 2014 S3 because the volumes of ice on its surface are not enough for its formation.
Scientists believe that Manx originates from the Oort cloud, which is the source of long-period comets. At the same time, there is speculation that C / 2014 S3 is a loser asteroid that, by some chance, ended up in the coldest part of our system. Thus, if the latter assumption is correct, then Manx is the first discovered ice asteroid, if not, then we have the first stony, tailless comet that we meet.
Huge planet on the edge of the solar system
Scientists have predicted the existence of the ninth planet in the solar system. And since Pluto was demoted from this status back in 2006, this is not at all about him.
The hypothetical "Ninth Planet" could be 10 times more massive than our Earth, scientists say. Researchers believe that the object's orbit lies at a distance of 20 times the distance between the Sun and Neptune.
Based on observations of the anomalous behavior and characteristics of some very distant objects located in the Kuiper belt inside our solar system (which is outside the orbit of Neptune), scientists were able to calculate the estimated mass, size and distance to this hypothetical object.
According to scientists, if in reality there is no "Ninth Planet", then the anomalous behavior of objects in the Kuiper belt can be explained only by some undetected massive objects within this belt.
White holes
Black holes are very massive objects that attract and devour any objects that are not fortunate enough to be near them. Everything, including light, is sucked into the interior of the black hole and cannot escape. White holes in theory work in the opposite direction. That is, they do not suck in, but push objects away from themselves, preventing them from getting inside.
Most physicists are convinced that in principle there cannot be white holes in nature. However, Einstein's general theory of relativity, where these objects were predicted, does not agree with this. Some scientists still believe that white holes may indeed exist. In this case, everything that comes close to them is destroyed by a very powerful amount of energy that these objects emit. If the object manages to somehow survive, then as it approaches the white hole, time for it will slow down to infinity.
We have not yet found such objects. In fact, we have not even seen black holes yet, but we know about their existence by indirect effects on the surrounding space and other objects. Yet some scientists believe that white holes may represent the other side of blacks. And according to one of the theories of quantum gravity, black holes turn into white over time.
Volcanoids
A hypothetical class of asteroids whose orbit lies between the orbits of Mercury and the Sun, scientists call volcanoids. Volcanoids have not yet been discovered, but some scientists are confident in their existence, since the search area (that is, the place where they can presumably be) is gravitationally stable. Stable gravitational regions often contain many asteroids. For example, there are a lot of them in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, as well as in the Kuiper belt beyond the orbit of Neptune.
There is an assumption that volcanoids often fall to the surface of Mercury. That is why it is covered with many craters.
The inability to detect volcanoids is primarily explained by scientists by the fact that their searches are extremely difficult to carry out due to the brightness of the Sun. No optics is capable of withstanding such observations. At the same time, scientists are trying to find volcanoids during solar eclipses, early morning and late evening, when solar activity is minimal. Attempts are also being made to search for these objects from scientific aircraft.
A rotating mass of hot stones and dust
Some scientists believe that the planets and their moons were formed from incandescent, rapidly rotating masses of rock and dust called synesty. A celestial body turns into synestia when its angular velocity of rotation at the equator exceeds its orbital velocity. Scientists made such conclusions based on computer modeling, which was carried out using the created computer program HERCULES (Highly Eccentric Rotating Concentric U (potential) Layers Equilibrium Structure), which can be used to consider the evolution of a heated rotating spheroid of constant density.
Most often synesty, scientists believe, occurs when two rapidly rotating celestial bodies collide. The duration of existence of this type of planetary objects is the longer, the more matter in them. With the passage of time, experts say, the planet itself and satellites stand out from the synesty. This happens in about 100 years.
According to one hypothesis, our Earth and the Moon appeared after the emerging planet hit a certain planetary object the size of Mars. This object is called Thea. Some time after cooling, the mass of matter split into the Earth and the Moon.
Gas giants turning into earthlike planets
Structurally, the main components of earth-like planets are stones and metals. They have a solid surface. Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars are earth-like planets. In turn, the gas giants consist, in fact, of gas. They don't have a solid surface. The gas giants of our solar system are Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.
Some scientists believe that under certain circumstances, gas giants are capable of transforming into Earth-like planets. And although science does not yet have exact confirmation of the existence of such objects, scientists call these planets chthonic. According to the researchers' assumptions, gas giants can become chthonic planets when they come close to the stars of their system. As a result of the approach, the gas envelope will deflate, leaving only an exposed solid core.
As a result, scientists do not know what such a planet will be like. But they're going to find out. Relatively recently, scientists have discovered the exoplanet Corot 7b in the constellation Unicorn. And as you might have guessed, scientists suspect that the planet is of the chthonic type. The outer shell of the planet is covered with hot lava, the temperature of which can reach 2500 degrees Celsius.
The planets that rain glass
Moreover, the rains are not made of solid glass, but of liquid and incandescent glass. In general, the prospects are not the most suitable for life. An example is the exoplanet HD 189733b discovered 63 light years away, which, like our Earth, has a bluish tint. At first, scientists suggested that the planet might be covered with water (hence the bluish tint), but subsequent research has shown that packing your bags on a trip to our new home is not worth it. It turned out that silicate clouds give the planet a bluish tint.
Scientists do not yet have confirmation of this, but there is a serious assumption that it often rains from hot liquid glass on the planet HD 189733b, and it rains not vertically from top to bottom, but horizontally. Why? Yes, because monstrous winds blow on the planet, whose speed reaches 8700 kilometers per hour, which is seven times the speed of sound.
Planets without a core
Most planets have one thing in common - a solid or liquid iron core. However, scientists believe that there are planets that do not have a core. There is an assumption that such planets can form in remote and very cold regions of the Universe, being located very far from their stars, where the light is so weak that it is unable to evaporate liquid and ice on the surface of the newly formed planets.
As a result of this, iron, which should flow to the center of the planet and form its core, will react with a well-stocked water supply, which will lead to the formation of iron oxide. Scientists cannot yet determine whether planets outside our solar system have nuclei. However, they can guess about this based on the calculation of the ratio of iron and silicates of the planet and the star around which they turn. If the planet does not have a core, then it will not have a magnetic field - it will be defenseless against cosmic radiation.
Nikolay Khizhnyak