The mysteries of the dark depths of space bring us a new mystery that scientists want to decipher. Is there another planet in the Solar System? That is what a team of scientists has been saying for years. And not only that, but they also point out that it is very similar to Earth and is in a dangerous region of our galactic neighborhood.
The scientific team that predicts the existence of this planet is made up of astrophysicists Patryk Sofia Lykawka (Kindai University, Japan) and Takashi Ito (National Astronomical Observatory of Japan). They publish a theory in The Astronomical Journal that is titled: Is there an Earth-like planet in the distant Kuiper Belt?
“We predict the existence of an Earth-like planet and several trans-Neptunian objects in peculiar orbits in the outer Solar System, which may serve as verifiable observable signatures of the disturbances of the supposed planet”, scientists point out.
Let’s talk about the dangerous Kuiper Belt
This is a disk-shaped region of the Solar System located beyond the orbit of Neptune. This extends about 30 to 55 astronomical units (AU) from the Sun. The Kuiper Belt contains millions of icy bodies that are believed to be vestiges of the formation of the Solar System.
Kuiper Belt Objects (KBOs) are small, icy bodies such as Pluto, Eris, Haumea and Makemake. These objects are mainly composed of water ice, methane and ammonia. Some KBOs also have thin atmospheres.
The Kuiper Belt is believed to have formed from the protoplanetary disk, which was a cloud of gas and dust that surrounded the Sun when the Solar System was young. When the Sun’s gravity began to attract dust and gas, a rotating disk formed. This disk cooled and condensed, forming the planets and Kuiper Belt objects.