Solar System Facts, Planets & Energy 2015: Astronomers Predict Existence of Two More Planets
Astronomers are predicting there are at least two more planets in the Solar System, according to Universe Today.
A group of astronomers from England and Spain say at least two other planets must exist beyond Neptune and Pluto, which could explain the orbital behavior of objects that are even farther out in the universe.
The most accepted theory of planets orbital behavior or trans-Neptunian objects is they should orbit at a distance of 150 AU.
Yet, groupings of objects orbit in distances of 150 AU up to 525 AU, according to scientists at the Complutense University of Madrid and the University of Cambridge.
"This excess of objects with unexpected orbital parameters makes us believe that some invisible forces are altering the distribution of the orbital elements of the ETNO," said Carlos de la Fuente Marcos, scientist at UCM and co-author of the study.
"And we consider that the most probable explanation is that other unknown planets exist beyond Neptune and Pluto."
He added data suggests "there are at least two planets, and probably more, within the confines of our solar system."
More research on ETNOs is coming soon, however.
"If it is confirmed, our results may be truly revolutionary for astronomy," said the Madrid astronomer, according to USA Today.
The team of scientists analyzed the planets and discovered there might be another planet in the solar system even 10 times bigger than Earth.
"This Sedna-like object has the most distant perihelion of any known minor planet and the value of its argument of perihelion is close to 0 degrees," the team wrote in their research paper.
"In this scenario, a population of stable asteroids may be shepherded by a distant, undiscovered planet larger than the Earth that keeps the value of their argument of perihelion librating around 0 degrees as a result of the Kozai mechanism."
The team's theory put into two papers goes against the predictions of current models on the formation of the Solar System.
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