If the results of two latest studies from Spain and the UK are anything to go by, then two more planets may exist in our solar system and just starting to make their presence known.
Astronomers from the UK and Spain have theorized that two new planets exist beyond Pluto – which was recently demoted from the status of a planet – because this logic is the only way to explain the rationale affecting the behavior of objects in the nether regions of Neptune.
“We consider that the most probable explanation is that other unknown planets exist beyond Neptune and Pluto,” says an astronomer from Complutense University of Madrid.
Called extreme trans-Neptunian objects (ETNOs), these spatial objects ought to zip randomly around, but they rather zip around in an unusual symmetry that has baffled astronomers for some time.
It remains a theory and a matter of conjecture at this moment, but EarthSky raised two crucial points: “First, their proposal goes against the predictions of current models on the formation of the solar system, which state that there are no other planets moving in circular orbits beyond Neptune.” And second, researching just 13 sample objects for the study is simply insufficient to base a theory.
“If it is confirmed, our results may be truly revolutionary for astronomy,” says the Madrid astronomer.
Astronomers continue to conduct research into the ETNOs, and it is expected that the studies will be made known as soon as something worthy surfaces again.