Dwarf Planet Discovered in Far Reaches of Solar System Fuels Planet Nine Debate
Astronomers have discovered a new dwarf planet, temporarily named 2017 OF201, in the distant reaches of our solar system, reigniting the debate about the possible existence of the elusive Planet Nine. This small world, about 430 miles wide, takes a staggering 24,000 years to orbit the sun once, traveling as far out as 151 billion miles. The discovery was made during a search for Planet Nine, and the dwarf planet's unique orbit is now contributing to the ongoing scientific discussion.
Sihao Cheng, a researcher at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, N.J., and his team embarked on this quest. "We discovered a very large trans-Neptunian object in a very exotic orbit," said Dr. Cheng. The research, which is yet to be peer-reviewed, involves Jiaxuan Li and Eritas Yang, graduate students from Princeton University.
2017 OF201's discovery is significant not only because it qualifies as a dwarf planet, similar to Pluto, but also because of its potential implications for the Planet Nine hypothesis. While searching for the hypothetical planet, Dr. Cheng and his team turned to archived images taken by the Blanco telescope in Chile. After developing a computer program to identify moving objects in these images, they successfully spotted 2017 OF201.
The dwarf planet's orbit is highly elliptical, taking it from 4.2 billion miles to an astonishing 151 billion miles from the sun. To put that in perspective, Neptune is a mere 2.8 billion miles away. The last time 2017 OF201 was closest to the sun was in 1930, the same year Pluto was discovered. It won't be that close again until around the year 26186.
However, the discovery also introduces new perspectives on the Planet Nine theory. Numerical simulations run by Ms. Yang indicate that if Planet Nine exists, it could destabilize the orbit of 2017 OF201 over time, eventually leading to its ejection from the solar system within about 100 million years. This raises a critical question: If Planet Nine truly exists, why is 2017 OF201 still present?
Despite this new evidence, the existence of Planet Nine remains a topic of ongoing debate. Dr. Cheng still believes in the possibility, while Mr. Li jokingly suggests the discovery is "49 percent killed" by the discovery of the dwarf planet.
This discovery provides valuable insights into the dynamics of our solar system's outer regions and reinforces the need for further research. What do you think? Could this new dwarf planet be the key to understanding the mysteries beyond Neptune? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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What is the new dwarf planet?
Newly discovered dwarf planet is Named 2017 OF201, the new object is roughly 700 kilometres (430 miles) across according to a preprint study. Back in 1930, astronomers were searching for Planet Nine when they discovered Pluto.
Is there a new planet in our solar system?
Scientists hunting for the hypothetical Planet Nine have discovered a potential new dwarf planet, 2017 OF201, in the outer solar system. This object, roughly 700km across, boasts an extremely elongated 25,000-year orbit that takes it far into the Oort cloud.
