Beyond Neptune, in the outer boundaries of the solar system, astronomers have discovered a new mysterious object revolving around the sun almost perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the other planets. In addition, the discovered object, dubbed "Niku", revolves around the Sun counterclockwise, unlike other planets. So far, scientists are not able to explain what exactly this object is and what is the reason for its such anomalous behavior.
Usually planetary systems have a very distinctive feature - a flat ring of dust and gas that forms around the system. Due to the angular momentum, all objects of such a system rotate around the star in the same direction. However, astronomers who discovered Niku with the Pan-STARRS telescope on the Hawaiian island of Maui note that the object is not in the same plane with other planets in the solar system and is moving in the opposite direction. This may mean that the object, in addition to the Sun, is acted upon by some other force that makes it behave this way.
"This once again confirms that the outer limits of the solar system are much more interesting than previously thought," said Matthew Holman, senior astrophysicist at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.
Holman's team suggests that Niku's behavior is likely influenced by other unmarked objects behind Neptune, as well as the mystical Ninth Planet, which has recently been indirectly discovered. Scientists estimate that Niku should be less than 200 kilometers in diameter. Most likely, the object is part of a group of similar objects, also moving around the Sun in the opposite direction.
Despite the fact that the information received only indicates the presence of an as yet unknown object, Konstantin Batygin, one of the researchers who first discovered signs of the presence of the ninth planet of the solar system, is very pleased with the discovery of a new trans-Neptunian object.
“Every time, looking deeper into space, you start to find something that you didn't even know about before. And this is very encouraging, since such events pave the way for new research,”Batygin shared in an interview with New Scientist.
NIKOLAY KHIZHNYAK