New research from Princeton University in the United States has sparked controversy in astronomical circles, after it provided possible evidence of the existence of an undiscovered planet in the outskirts of the solar system, which was temporarily named “Star Y.”
According to a report published by the British newspaper “Daily Mail”, the research team believes that the discovered celestial body is rocky in composition and of a size close to Earth, and may be located in the farthest regions of the solar system, specifically in the Kuiper Belt, located behind the planet Neptune.
Lead researcher Dr. Amir Siraj said that scientists noticed that the orbits of about 50 celestial objects in the Kuiper Belt are tilted at an unexplained angle, indicating a possible gravitational influence from a large, unseen body.
Siraj explained that the team tried to find alternative explanations for orbital disturbances, but mathematical models showed that “the presence of a small star or a hidden planet is the most logical explanation,” noting at the same time that the matter is still a scientific hypothesis that needs direct observational confirmation.
Difficulty of monitoring and probability of detection
Scientists point out that the supposed object is very far from the sun, which makes it cold and dark and difficult to observe with traditional telescopes, but it can be tracked indirectly through its gravitational effect on objects close to it.
Researchers plan to use modern infrared space telescopes in the coming years to monitor any signs of its presence.
From “Planet X” to “Star Y.”
It is worth noting that the idea of the existence of additional planets in the solar system is not new; In 2016, scientists from the California Institute of Technology proposed the existence of a “ninth planet,” which was then called “Planet X.”
However, the new hypothesis from Princeton is radically different, as it assumes that the discovered object is not just a ninth planet, but may mean that the solar system includes ten complete planets, which redraws the limits of our knowledge of its distant edges.
