Twilight News 533
Edition 533, 7th September 2023
JAPANESE SCIENTISTS DISCOVER AN “EARTH LIKE PLANET” IN OUR SOLAR SYSTEM
By Ahana Barthwal
Evidence suggesting the existence of a possible “Earth like planet” within the bounds of our solar system has been gathered by two Japanese astronomers. The planet is situated within the Kuiper Belt, which is basically a ring shaped entity consisting of objects from the outer solar system that revolve around the Sun, beginning just a little beyond Neptune’s orbit.
The findings come from research carried out by Takashi Ito of the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan in Tokyo and Patryk Sofia Lykawka of Kindai University in Osaka, Japan.
"We predict the existence of an Earth-like planet," wrote the researchers in their study published by The Astronomical Journal.
They claimed that if the theorised planet does in fact exist, then it would be 1.5 to 3 times bigger than Earth.
"It is plausible that a primordial planetary body could survive in the distant Kuiper Belt as a Kuiper Belt planet (KBP), as many such bodies existed in the early solar system." They added.
According to the researchers, several of the Kuiper Belt's objects exhibit characteristics that suggest a small planet may be present among them.
One such object is 500 astronomical units (AU) or less from the Sun. For context, 1 AU equals the distance between the Sun and the Earth.
In contrast, Neptune is located 30 AUs away from the Sun.
Some of these objects within the Kuiper Belt were discovered to have "odd" orbits, pointing to the possibility that they are being pulled by a cosmic entity with a stronger gravitational field than those that usually have an impact on objects of this type, therefore suggesting the existence of planet amidst them. Still, there is a lot of evidence yet to be gathered before we can give a definite answer to whether or not there actually is an Earth-like planet hiding right below our noses.