A distant planet potentially mirroring Earth's characteristics could be concealed within our solar system!

In a groundbreaking study published on August 25, 2023, in The Astronomical Journal, researchers Patryk Sofia Lykawka from Kindai University and Takashi Ito from the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan have proposed a new model that could potentially explain the unusual movements of celestial bodies in the distant Kuiper Belt.

One such body is Sedna, a dwarf planet that follows a highly elliptical orbit, taking approximately 11,400 Earth years to complete one orbit around the Sun. The farthest point of Sedna's orbit is estimated to be around 937 astronomical units away, indicating a distance that is significantly larger than the distance between the Sun and Neptune.

The study, which utilizes a specialized computer program called the N-body simulation, focuses on the distant, poorly defined region of the Kuiper Belt or the scattered disk, beyond 50 astronomical units. By examining the gravitational interactions of objects in this region, the researchers aim to find out if there could be another Earth-sized planet in our solar system.

Trans-Neptunian Objects (TNOs) are known for their erratic movements, and studying them could reveal some out-of-line celestial bodies that could provide valuable information about the Kuiper Belt's edge. In fact, if astronomers detect a TNO cluster at approximately 150 AU, it could be interpreted as evidence for the existence of another Earth-sized planet.

The discovery of a planet the size of Earth in any of the outer regions of the solar system would have profound implications for planetary science and astronomy. It would challenge our current understanding of solar system formation and evolution.

This is not the first time such a possibility has been suggested. In the 2010s, researchers Konstantin Batygin and Michael E. Brown were linked to the discovery of a possible planet 1.5 to 3 times the size of Earth in the distant Kuiper Belt region. Observations that could indicate the existence of this planet include the unusual clustered orbits of certain Kuiper Belt Objects (KBOs), which their gravitational influence would explain. Further observational evidence could come from direct imaging or additional studies of KBO orbital dynamics.

However, the researchers acknowledge that current models only provide partial answers and are far from providing a complete explanation for the movements of objects like Sedna. They propose that observations can test the results of their study and potentially bring us one step closer to uncovering the mysteries of our solar system's outermost regions.