New research indicates the existence of a completely dark ninth planet in the Solar System, approximately 5 to 10 times the size of Earth, and humanity may be able to detect it through its captured moons.
According to Science Alert, evidence of something lurking in the distant regions of the Solar System has been accumulating in recent years, beyond the dwarf planet Pluto and significantly larger than Earth.
Given the extreme distance, capturing this dark object is extremely challenging. With an estimated orbit spanning tens of thousands of years and an undetermined position, sending spacecraft or observing it from Earth is currently impossible.
Could the ninth planet have a “glowing” moon? – (Graphic image from ESO).
However, research led by astronomer Man Ho Chan from The Education University of Hong Kong (China) has discovered a path to detect this “ghost.”
According to a paper published in The Astrophysical Journal, the ninth planet may have many moons, and observing potential signals from these natural satellites could help humanity identify this mysterious planet.
Based on calculations using models derived from known data about the far reaches of the Solar System, they suggest that the ninth planet must have up to 20 moons.
It “harvests moons” in the literal sense: Its large size implies a strong gravitational force, sufficient to attract smaller objects like asteroids from the Kuiper Belt and the Oort Cloud, where scientists believe this planet resides. When pulled close enough, these objects could orbit the planet like moons.
These icy moons may be difficult to observe if they exist in isolation. However, the gravitational interactions they exhibit with the ninth planet as they become moons could help reveal objects with diameters of 100 km or more before telescopes.
Specifically, the elliptical orbit of an object around another typically heats the moon from within. This heat is converted into thermal radiation – which can be observed as radio signals.
According to Dr. Chan, this also provides answers regarding whether the ninth planet is a planet or a black hole – a question raised a few years ago. If there are moons, it must be a planet.
