Archean
Posts: 5,650 +102
Tiny planet extends the borders of our Solar System
A dwarf planet out beyond Pluto has been found orbiting our sun — and there may be another planet 10 times the size of Earth.
Our solar system is now officially just a little bit bigger. Out beyond the known edges of our solar system, Carnegie Institution for Science's Scott Sheppard and Gemini Obervatory's Chadwick Trujillo have discovered a dwarf planet orbiting the sun. Named 2012 VP113, it is thought to be just one of thousands of objects that are thought to make up the inner Oort cloud.
VP113 was spotted using the new 570-megapixel Dark Energy Camera (DECam) in Chile. It has the largest field-of-view of any large telescope, meaning it can detect faint objects unseen by other telescopes.
With the probability of finding another planet 10 times the size of earth, I guess 'solar system' will go another major re-definition.
A dwarf planet out beyond Pluto has been found orbiting our sun — and there may be another planet 10 times the size of Earth.
Our solar system is now officially just a little bit bigger. Out beyond the known edges of our solar system, Carnegie Institution for Science's Scott Sheppard and Gemini Obervatory's Chadwick Trujillo have discovered a dwarf planet orbiting the sun. Named 2012 VP113, it is thought to be just one of thousands of objects that are thought to make up the inner Oort cloud.
VP113 was spotted using the new 570-megapixel Dark Energy Camera (DECam) in Chile. It has the largest field-of-view of any large telescope, meaning it can detect faint objects unseen by other telescopes.
With the probability of finding another planet 10 times the size of earth, I guess 'solar system' will go another major re-definition.
