The mysterious "Planet 9" really exists - this is the conclusion reached by scientists from the University of Michigan. They spotted an object at the edge of the solar system that could possibly help make a breakthrough in research.
The "ninth planet" theory emerged several years ago. Astronomers have suggested that there is an unknown object beyond the orbit of Neptune, eluding telescope lenses. The specialists were led to this idea by the strange orbits of six celestial bodies in the Kuiper belt - they turned out to be elongated and tilted by 30 degrees in comparison with the orbits of the planets of the solar system. The reason for this phenomenon could be the gravity of an invisible, but very massive object, reports The Washington Post.
Previously, only indirect signs indicated the presence of "Planet 9". But American scientists made an important discovery - they managed to notice a celestial body the size of a dwarf planet, it was named 2015 BP519.
The orbit of the mini-planet does not coincide with the plane in which the entire solar system rotates. Experts used computer simulations to find out what could have influenced her. The system with eight planets did not assume such a tilt, but when the researchers added a hypothetical ninth, the orbit of 2015 BP519 changed the way it actually runs.
Of course, this is not direct evidence of the existence of "Planet 9", but the results clearly deserve attention.
Experts note that denying the existence of the planet will raise a large number of questions - there are a number of phenomena that can only be explained by the presence of an invisible body at the edge of the solar system. For example, why does the Kuiper belt rotate in the opposite direction from the planets?
Most likely, the planet has been present in the solar system since its formation - that is, 4.5 billion years - and continues to influence the movement of its cosmic neighbors.
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Now her search is carried out using the modern Subaru telescope at the Mauna Kea Observatory in Hawaii.