How many planets are there in our solar system?
I always thought it was nine – Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus (don’t titter!), Neptune and Pluto.
Then some bright spark decided that Pluto was too small and shouldn’t be called a planet any longer, so we were down to eight. Well now it seems it might be nine after all.
Recently researchers at Caltech have found evidence for a giant planet – about 10 times the size of the Earth - which follows a strange, elongated orbit way out beyond Neptune. It’s so far out in space that they reckon Planet Nine (as they’ve imaginatively called it!!) would take between 10,000 and 20,000 years to orbit the sun.
The problem is that no one has actually seen Planet Nine yet – the case for its existence is based on the way that other objects behave in this remote part of space. The only way to explain their behaviour – apparently – it to invoke the gravitational pull of the theoretical Planet Nine.
Now they’re convinced it should be out there somewhere, scientists have started to train their telescopes on the critical parts of space to see if they can actually see it. You’d like to think that now we can identify planets orbiting distant stars, we have more than a fighting chance of finding this one.
And when they do, I hope someone comes up with a better name!
Another thought provoking and interesting read. Did remind me of my favourite Damned song as well. Please keep us posted if they find a name.
And RIP Algy Ward…..
It would certainly deserve something more imaginative.
Very interesting