A newly discovered object could set a new record for the most distant dwarf planet in the solar system. This object, named V774104, lies fifteen billion kilometers from the Sun, two to three times farther than Pluto. V774104 is slightly less than half of Pluto and, like this planet, can approach or recede from the Sun as it moves in orbit, but these details remain to be clarified.
“Basically, that's all we know about her. We don't even know its orbit, because we found it two weeks ago, ”said Scott Sheppard of Scientific Institute Carnegie, one of the discoverers of the new facility. The discovery is part of a larger hunt for objects in this cold, dark region beyond Pluto's orbit, where scientists hope to find information about the early solar system.
Sheppard announced the opening at the American Astronomical Society's annual meeting on November 10. In an interview with Space.com, he revealed that V774104 is certainly one of the most distant objects ever observed, although more accurate data is needed to award the planet the title of most distant dwarf planet.
In his quest, Sheppard worked with Chadwick Trujillo of Gemini in Hawaii and Dave Tolen of the University of Hawaii.
“We carry out the widest and deepest research of objects of external Solar system in history, ”Sheppard said. - We use the 8-meter Subaru telescope in Hawaii. We're just looking for things outside the Kuiper belt, beyond Pluto's orbit. "
Objects in the outer solar system are faint and rare, Sheppard says. To find them, the researchers turned to the Subaru Telescope, which collects large amounts of light in a short time and can scan large areas of the sky fairly quickly, which Sheppard believes is a key combination in finding these hidden gems.
Is there life beyond Neptune
Beyond the orbit of Neptune is a group of cold, icy bodies (including Pluto) called the Kuiper Belt. Pluto is located 8 billion kilometers from the Sun, but when talking about the solar system, "astronomical units" are usually used (1 AU \u003d distance from the Earth to the Sun, about 150 million kilometers). Neptune is on average at 30.1 AU. e. from the sun; Pluto rotates between 29 and 49 AU. e.
If V774104's measurements are correct, the object is currently at 103 AU. e. from the Sun, which places it in the region of the Oort cloud. The Oort cloud is the hypothesized sphere of icy solid objects that wraps around the solar system.
The dwarf planet Eris revolves around the Sun in the inner Oort cloud at a distance of 37 to 97 AU. e. The dwarf planet Sedna, discovered in 2003, has an incredibly eccentric orbit, which means it could be anywhere between 76 and 940 AU. e. from the sun. Last year, Sheppard and Trujillo, similar to Sedna, 2012 VP113, whose orbit is between 80 and 452 AU. e. from the sun.
(Astronomers are also aware of long-period comets that originate from the outer Oort cloud, that is, reach distances of 5,000 to 100,000 AU from the Sun, Sheppard says. These long-period comets are considered "the most distant objects in the solar system," although they do not conduct all their lives in the outer regions. None of these long-period comets comes close to being a dwarf planet or a minor planet).
Calm orbit
Sedna and VP113 are far enough from the inner solar system (Earth's closest neighborhood) not to depend on the gravity of the system's eight planets, according to Sheppard.
“Sedna and VP113 are the only objects that are completely separate from the giant planetary region,” Sheppard says. “And yet they have very elongated orbits, so we find them very interesting. As far as their orbits are concerned, as far as we know the solar system, they shouldn't be bothered at all. They shouldn't have formed in these orbits at all. Something worried them. "
Therefore, Sheppard and Trujillo are engaged in the distant solar system. They are looking for objects that have been intact since the early days of the solar system, which means they behave in the same way as they did after the formation of the system 4.6 billion years ago. Sheppard says the leading theory about the formation of the solar system implies that the sun was born "in a very dense stellar environment, when a handful of stars appeared next to it." The gravitational pull of these stars could have caused objects like Sedna to be disturbed.
Again, it is possible that there is a massive and as yet unknown object outside Pluto's orbit that is responsible for the gravitational disturbance of objects in the inner Oort cloud.
“Some of the objects in the inner Oort cloud can rival Mars or even Earth in size,” Sheppard said. "This is because many of the objects in the inner Oort cloud are so far away that even the largest will be so faint that they cannot be detected with current technology."
The answer can be found in the process of studying objects in this outer region.
“We want to find a scattering of objects like VP113 that we found last year,” Sheppard says. - There are several different theories about how these distant objects could have come to their eccentric orbits. All of these different theories predict different orbital distribution and population. If we find 10 such objects or so, we can begin to determine which theories of the formation of such objects are correct. "
Neptune - the eighth and farthest planet in the solar system. Previously, Pluto was considered the farthest. However, recently by the decision of the International Astronomical Union, it was "demoted" from the planets and became a planetoid (the so-called dwarf planet). This happened after several more similar small planets were discovered behind it, and one of them (Eris) turned out to be even larger than Pluto. Neptune is the fourth largest planet in the solar system and the third largest planet. The mass of Neptune is 17.2 times, and the diameter of the equator is 3.9 times that of the Earth. The planet was named after the Roman god of the seas.
Neptune became the first planet discovered (in 1846) thanks to mathematical calculations, and not through regular observation. This happened because unforeseen changes in orbit gave rise to the hypothesis of an unknown planet, which affects Uranus with its gravitational field. Neptune was found within a mathematically predicted position.
The average distance between Neptune and the Sun is 4.55 billion km (about 30.1 times the average distance between the Sun and the Earth, or 30.1 AU). The period of Neptune's complete revolution around the Sun is 164.79 earth years... The period of rotation of the planet around its axis is 15 hours 8 minutes. The axial tilt of Neptune is 28.32 °, which is similar to the tilt of the axis of the Earth and Mars. As a result, the planet experiences similar seasonal changes. However, due to Neptune's long orbital period, the seasons last for forty years each.
The internal structure of Neptune and its composition are close to and also very different from gas giants - and, consisting mainly of hydrogen and helium. Therefore, astronomers sometimes place Uranus and Neptune in a separate category of "ice giants". The atmosphere makes up about 10-20% of the total mass of the planet, and the distance from the surface to the end of the atmosphere is 10-20% of the distance from the surface to the core. The atmosphere of Neptune, like the atmosphere of Jupiter and Saturn, consists mainly of hydrogen and helium, but contains a higher proportion of ice: water, ammonia, methane. Traces of methane in the outer atmosphere, like Uranus, are responsible for the blue color of the planet, although Neptune's bright azure differs from the more moderate aquamarine color of Uranus. Neptune's core, like Uranus, is composed primarily of ice and rocks.
The strongest winds among the planets of the solar system rage in the atmosphere of Neptune. According to some estimates, their speeds can reach supersonic speeds of 2100 km / h (about 600 m / s) (!). The weather is characterized by an extremely dynamic storm system. Most winds on Neptune blow in the opposite direction of the planet's rotation on its axis. In 1989, the so-called Great Dark Spot was discovered in the southern hemisphere of Neptune, similar to the Great Red Spot on Jupiter. The temperature of Neptune in the upper atmosphere is close to -220 ° C. In the center of Neptune, the temperature is, according to various estimates, from 5400 ° K to 7000-7100 ° C, which is comparable to the temperature on the surface of the Sun and comparable to the internal temperature of most of the known planets.
Just like other gas giants in the solar system, Neptune has a weak and fragmented ring system, reliably confirmed in 1989. Therefore, it is very, very difficult to detect it from Earth. The rings can be composed of ice particles coated with silicates or a carbon-based material, which is most likely to give them a reddish hue.
Neptune currently has 13 known satellites. The largest of these weighs more than 99.5% of the masses of all Neptune's moons combined, and only it is massive enough to become spheroidal. This is Triton, discovered by William Lassell just 17 days after the discovery of Neptune. It is larger in size and mass than the Moon. Has a reverse direction orbital motion... Due to tidal acceleration, Triton is slowly spiraling towards Neptune, and will eventually collapse when the Roche limit is reached, resulting in a ring that may be more powerful than Saturn's rings (this will happen through a relatively small astronomical scale time period: 10 to 100 million years). In 1989, Triton was considered the coldest object in the solar system to be measured, with an estimated temperature of -235 ° C (38 ° K). Triton is one of the three moons of the planets in the solar system that have an atmosphere (along with Io and Titan).
Neptune was visited by only one spacecraft, Voyager 2, which flew close to the planet in 1989.
The question of which planet of the solar system can be categorically and unambiguously called the most distant from the luminary has been troubling scientists hungry for discoveries for almost the entire last century. There is no consensus here and there will not be in the foreseeable future, since the situation is only getting confused every year due to new sensational discoveries that refute seemingly indestructible truths to dust. But first things first.
Even from the first grades of school (or even from kindergarten), every curious child knows that the Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the most distant is Pluto. It is absorbed instantly and is perceived as an indisputable fact.
In fact, since the discovery of dwarf Pluto in 1930, scientific debate has not abated whether it can even be attributed to ordinary planets. There were many arguments against such a statement: the small size of Pluto, the impossibility of fully studying it due to the huge distance from the Earth, and most importantly, the constantly changing orbit, as a result of which Pluto found itself now behind Neptune, then in front of it. This factor gave rise to a bunch of questions about the reasonableness of considering Pluto a planet, and even the most distant from the Sun.
In the first years of this century, several new objects were discovered at once within the Kuiper belt, which includes Pluto. The most resonant was the discovery of Eris, which exceeds Pluto in mass and size. Heated discussions began about the need to assign Eris the status of the 10th planet of the solar system, but in the end, oddly enough, there were 8 planets in general! In 2006, a new scientific definition of an ordinary planet was introduced, and neither Pluto nor Eris fit it. They have been categorized as dwarf planets. Thus, Pluto's status was debunked.
So Neptune is the most distant planet in the solar system? In fact, it turns out like this. With the 4th largest diameter among all the planets, Neptune does not cause any controversy in the context of the indisputability of its position in relation to the rest of the bodies of the Universe.
But scientific research never stops - it concerns the astronomical and space spheres in the first place. Over the past few years, experts have received great food for thought and revision of traditional ideas about the solar system.
What then?
The boundaries of the solar system itself, with all the rigor of the calculations, are still very conditional and unstable. In this regard, there is no consensus on whether dwarf planets discovered outside the Kuiper belt should be attributed to the solar system.
So, in November 2012, even further away from the most distant of the objects discovered by that time - the dwarf planet Sedna - another dwarf planet was discovered, named 2012VP. If Sedna's discovery shocked scientists, then what to say about 2012VP! They unanimously say that finding these bodies where they were found defies logic and demonstrates how little space has been explored and how fragile scientific facts are.
Sedna and 2012VP, according to experts, moved from another galaxy as a result of an anomaly of unknown origin. The most daring assumptions speak about the incredible: these 2 dwarf planets, which have incomparable shape and extension of orbits, together with, presumably, 10 more similar ones were squeezed into the field of view by a mysterious large body. Perhaps it is larger than the Earth. Scientists do not make hasty conclusions, but are increasingly inclined to the existence of a still not open major planet... The strange orbits of Sedna and 2012VP are the result of her influence. It is believed that the planet is located from the Earth at a distance exceeding the distance between the Sun and Neptune by 8-9 times, but science has come close to detecting it.
If this happens, then it will be just right to talk about an epochal revolution in astronomy. The consequences of such a discovery can be very different, one thing is clear - the solar system and the long-term idea of \u200b\u200bit will never be the same.
Therefore, the question of which planet is farther than the rest from the Sun becomes extremely relevant and exciting. In the event of a grandiose discovery, humanity will receive a new answer. However, it will not be final either. How many new mysteries the cosmos conceals - nobody knows ...
This illustration clearly shows the size of the exoplanet Kepler-452b compared to Earth. Kepler-452b is 60% larger than earth and is 1,400 light years away in the constellation Cygnus.
This image by NASA artist shows the exoplanet Kepler-186f - another contender for our Earth's twin. This planet was discovered in October 2014. And perhaps it is present liquid water... Because The planet is in the habitable zone of its Sun. This planet is located at a distance of 500 light years from the earth, also in the constellation Cygnus.
3. Sedna.
This object was discovered by astronomers well beyond Pluto's orbit beyond the Kuiper belt. This illustration was presented by an artist from NASA on March 26, 2014. The massive icy celestial body may reveal what the solar system was like in its early stages of existence.
Ceres. In the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. The most intriguing object in the solar system. Icy, spewing water vapor from its icy surface into outer space. Scientists argue whether such conditions can be hospitable to any form of life.
An artist's view of the surface views of the super-earth Gliese 667 Cc. A billion such worlds revolve around their red dwarfs in our galaxy
A view of planets the size of our Saturn orbiting the star 79 Centauri
The artist's view of a planet larger in size, the Earth, the super-Earth Kepler-62e, whose orbit is in the habitable zone of a star smaller and colder than the Sun. Super-Earth Kepler-62e lies 1,400 light years away.
Moment of the birth of an icy planet in a young star named TW Hydrae. This beauty is located 175 light years from earth in the constellation Hydra
Kepler-22b, the most Earth-like planet, orbits its star. it supposedly has water and chemical elementsnecessary for the origin of life.
An object with a complex name OGLE-2005-BLG-390Lb. This newly discovered planet, 20,000 light years away, orbits a star 5 times smaller than our Sun.
The artist's vision of a planet orbiting a star s, a member of the triple star system closest to us. Our Sun can be seen in this photo - in the upper right in the corner.
Exoplanet HD 189733b, the size of Jupiter. "Hot Jupiter", as this planet is also called, is so close to its star that it makes one revolution around its star in just 2.2 days.
This young planet Kepler-37b is slightly larger than the Moon, according to scientists on its surface the temperature reaches 400 degrees Celsius, this small planet has an atmosphere and possibly some life forms. Its complete revolution around its star takes only 13 days.
The planet, composed mainly of Diamond rocks, orbits its star in the constellation Cancer, so fast that a year on this planet lasts only 18 hours.
A star similar to the Sun has 6 planets in its orbit
Hot, rocky and geologically active planet. Has an atmosphere, quite possibly, the whole is covered with clouds of Venus.
The first photograph of the planet Fomalhaut b, which has a mass three times that of Jupiter. It is located 25 light years from Earth
An obscure planet called HAT-P-1 has a diameter 1.38 times that of Jupiter and at the same time has only half the mass of Jupiter.
A fairly old planet, 13 billion years old. The gas giant revolves around the helium white dwarf and millisecond pulsar B1620-26. The small amount of heavy elements in such globular clusters complicates the process of creating planets and therefore, most likely, the appearance of new planets was possible only on early stage the formation of the universe.
21. Planet 2003UB313
The most distant planet in the solar system ever discovered. It is located on the outer edges of our solar system and its orbit is three times farther than Pluto's.
A planet the size of Jupiter passes a star. and The brightness of such a star falls by several percent, this phenomenon is called "Transit" and this event helps scientists to know that there is a planet or planets in the orbit of the observed star.
This exoplanet has a mass six times greater than our Earth, and its orbit around its star is all 1/20 of the distance from the Earth to the Sun.
The only known planet orbiting two stars, a large dwarf at 69% of the Sun's mass and a small dwarf weighing 20% \u200b\u200bof the Sun's mass. Life on such planets is not possible. since Its surface is very cold and besides, it is gas.
25. An amazing type of exoplanet
The amazing planet was discovered by the Hubble Telescope. The planet is so close to its star that its year is only 10.5 hours, the distance to the star is only 750,000 miles, or 1/30 of the distance from the Earth to the Sun, and hardly any life can exist on it.
The solar system is young, there is as much water in it as is enough to fill all the oceans on our planet 5 times. It is located in our galaxy Milky Way 1000 light years away.
1. Neptune was discovered in 1846. He became the first planet to be discovered through mathematical calculations, and not through observation.
2. With a radius of 24,622 kilometers, Neptune is nearly four times wider.
3. The average distance between Neptune is 4.55 billion kilometers. This is about 30 astronomical units (one astronomical unit is equal to the average distance from the Earth to the Sun).
4. Of all the planets, Neptune has the strongest winds. According to some estimates, their speeds can reach 2100 km / h.
5. One Neptunian year (a complete revolution around the Sun) lasts almost 165 Earth years.
6. Neptune has no solid surface. Its atmosphere, composed mainly of hydrogen, helium and methane, extends over long distance deep into the planet, gradually passing into the mantle, which consists of water, ammonia and methane ice. A stone-ice core is hidden under the mantle.
7. The planet's blue color is due to the presence of small amounts of methane in the outer layers of the atmosphere. However, Neptune's neighbor - - in the presence of the same amount of methane, has a blue-green color. Therefore, scientists suggest that there is also a component unknown to science in the atmosphere of Neptune, which gives the planet a bluer hue.
Triton - satellite of Neptune
8. Neptune has 14 moons. Neptune's largest moon Triton was discovered just 17 days after the planet's discovery.
9. The axial tilt of Neptune is similar to the tilt of the Earth's axis, so the planet experiences similar seasonal changes. However, since the year on Neptune is very long by earthly standards, each of the seasons lasts more than 40 earth years.
10. Triton, Neptune's largest moon, has an atmosphere. Scientists do not exclude that a liquid ocean may be hidden under its ice crust.
11. Neptune has rings, but its ring system is much less significant compared to the rings of Saturn we are used to.
12. The only spacecraft to reach Neptune is Voyager 2. It was launched in 1977 to explore the distant planets of the solar system. In 1989, the device flew 48 thousand kilometers from Neptune, transmitting unique images of its surface to Earth.
13. Due to its elliptical orbit, Pluto (formerly the ninth planet in the solar system, now a dwarf planet) is sometimes closer to the Sun than Neptune.
14. Neptune renders big influence to the very distant Kuiper belt, which consists of materials left after the formation of the solar system. Thanks to gravitational force During the existence of the solar system, gaps have formed in the structure of the belt.
15. Neptune has a powerful internal heat source, the nature of which is not yet clear. The planet radiates into space 2.6 times more heat than it receives from the Sun.
16. Some researchers suggest that at a depth of 7000 kilometers, conditions on Neptune are such that methane breaks down into hydrogen and carbon, and the latter crystallizes in the form of diamond. Therefore, it is possible that such a unique natural phenomenon as diamond hail may exist in the Neptunian ocean.
17. The planet's upper regions reach temperatures of -221.3 ° C. But deep inside the layers of gas on Neptune, temperatures are constantly rising.
18. Voyager 2's images of Neptune may be the only close-up images of the planet we will have over the next decades. NASA planned to send Neptune Orbiter to the planet in 2016, but so far no launch dates spacecraft not sounded.
19. Neptune's core is believed to have a mass 1.2 times that of the entire Earth. The total mass of Neptune is 17 times that of Earth.
20. The length of a day on Neptune is 16 earth hours.
