Astronomers at the Vatican have discovered a new mysterious object located in the dark space beyond the orbit of Neptune, which appears to be influenced by a planet even farther away – the legendary ninth planet.
According to the Daily Mail, the object identified by the Vatican’s Advanced Technology Telescope is named 2021 XD7, and it takes about 286 years to complete one orbit around the Sun.
The size of the object has not been determined, but it is certainly smaller than Pluto. It is classified as a “Trans-Neptunian Object” (TNO), which includes more than 800 objects that have been discovered.
Is the ninth planet gradually being revealed through Trans-Neptunian Objects? – (Photo: EARTH & SKY)
What is particularly interesting is that 2021 XD7 has a strange orbit, significantly tilted compared to the movements of Earth, Mars, and other planets. Astronomers believe that this unusual orbit is due to the object being affected by a mysterious gravitational force, from a body large and powerful enough, still hidden in the darkness beyond Neptune.
According to the data, the object influencing 2021 XD7 must be nearly four times the size and ten times the mass of Earth. It must be a planet – the ninth planet that astronomers still debate whether it is real or just a myth.
The orbit of this hypothetical ninth planet is very wide, taking between 10,000 to 20,000 years to complete one full orbit around the Sun.
This is not the first time scientists have found a Trans-Neptunian Object exhibiting strange behavior, influenced by an invisible gravitational force. Currently, there are two main hypotheses about the dark object: a giant ninth planet or a small black hole.
