LONDON, Jan. 19. / TASS /. At least two new unknown planet may be in the far reaches of the solar system, say European astronomers. According to a study cited by the website of the newspaper The Gardian, these celestial bodies can have a size comparable to the size of the Earth.
Similar conclusions prompted astronomers observing asteroids located on the orbits of Neptune and Pluto. Usually the trajectory of motion of celestial bodies around the Sun are certain permanent characteristics. However, some of them, as it turned out, occasionally deviate from the standard route under the influence of the gravitational field of some invisible from Earth objects larger size.
“We believe that the most plausible explanation for this phenomenon is that beyond Neptune and Pluto located other planet unknown to us “- says Professor Carlos de la Fuente Marcos from the Complutense University of Madrid. “It is impossible to accurately call their number, considering that we have a limited amount of data, but our calculations suggest that there are at least two such planets in the outer reaches of our solar system, and perhaps they are even more” – he said.
The debate among astronomers about the number of planets in the solar system to continue for decades. Until recently, in the early 2000s, it was believed that the planets nine. However, in 2006 the International Astronomical Union stripped Pluto title of the planet due to the small size and unusual, highly inclined orbits, identifying it to the trans-Neptunian objects (TNO). Around the same period in the solar system have been discovered Pluto and similar celestial bodies, such as Eris, Makemake and Haumea, and scientists think seriously about the possibility of the existence of new planets orbiting the sun.
The current study, in According to European astronomers can have a truly revolutionary impact on our understanding of the solar system, if the calculations are confirmed and new large objects will be able to find.
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