Ice World With 20,000-Year Orbit May Point To Planet Nine

An icy planet with a 20,000-year orbit has been discovered passing through our solar system, leading to the re-emergence of theories about the existence of the mysterious Planet Nine L91 as the icy rock is called is one of a growing number of icy worlds with strange orbits discovered at the edge of the solar system. According to scientists working on the Outer Solar System Origins Survey, L91 is an enigma defying previously established gravitational patterns, and its discovery has added to mounting evidence that there are gravitational disruptions going on beyond what we can see. In the case of L91, some astronomers believe that external disrupter could be a ninth giant planet, as yet undiscovered. However, L91’s discovery team favors a scenario in which the disturbance is caused by something more mundane: a passing star, or the Milky Way’s gravity. The Mail Online reports: According to Science magazine, L91’s huge elliptical orbit means the icy world never comes closer than 50 times the distance between Earth and the sun (1 AU) and may swing as far out as 1,430 AUs. Astronomers believe that the strange paths of distant object such as L91 and others, such as Sedna, are affected [...]

The post Ice World With 20,000-Year Orbit May Point To Planet Nine appeared first on Your News Wire.