Scientists Have Found Evidence of a 9th, Super-Earth Sized Planet
For years there has been speculation as to whether a ninth planet exists beyond the currently known threshold of our solar system. This planet has now been discovered and it’s 20,000-year orbital period may explain why we’ve had trouble finding it.
By observing the strange elliptical orbits of a number of large asteroids, scientists have determined that a massive, rocky planet must exist in the outer reaches of our solar system. They found that these asteroids have such elongated orbits beyond the Kuiper Belt, the ring of bolides beyond Neptune, that there must be a large planetary body pulling them out.
A newly discovered asteroid, 2015 BP519, added to the evidence from a group of what astronomers call Trans-Neptunian Objects, that swing out in strange directions. And though astronomers haven’t pinpointed the planet, it is the most plausible explanation for these TNOs’ orbital paths.
Theories of this Planet Nine, or what some have referred to as Nibiru, have sparked conspiracies for decades, including many apocalyptic ones that (thankfully) never came to fruition. But the latest evidence of a real ninth planet (sorry, Pluto) may shed some light on how it affects Earth.
Thought to be orbiting at 500 times the distance between the Earth and the sun, Planet Nine would be nearly two-thirds the size of Neptune, making it the fifth largest planet in the system, or roughly 10 times the size of Earth.
But this planet’s orbit is so far beyond the orbits of the other planets in our solar system, that it would take somewhere between 10,000 and 20,000 years to complete one rotation. The planet is so far away, that if you looked back at Earth from it’s aphelion, you would be seeing light that left seven days prior.
For years it has been a mystery why the inner eight planes of our solar system are tilted 6 degrees off the sun’s equator. But now the influence of Planet Nine’s orbit over the course of billions of years may be the answer.
Planet Nine’s orbit in yellow and the asteroids it affects in purple courtesy nypost.com
The estimated size of Planet Nine would also make a lot of sense in that the majority of other solar systems we’ve observed have “super-Earth” sized planets. In fact, it’s the most common sized planet, making our solar system not so different from others out there if this new planet is confirmed.
Whether Planet Nine is currently having, or had, any significant impact on Earth remains to be seen. One of the lead proponents of its existence, Michael Brown, believes the planet poses no threat to our existence, nor does he believe it to have caused any mass extinctions in the past. The planet orbits beyond the Kuiper Belt, but within the Oort Cloud, the next big field of comets, meaning it shouldn’t dislodge and send any icy bodies on a collision course with Earth.
For now, the planet remains theoretical, but highly probable and depending on where it is in its orbit, it could be observed by an amateur or require substantial telescopes at a large observatory. Until then, the tentative discovery shows just how little we know about the surroundings in our own solar system, and how much more we have to learn about the rest of our cosmic neighborhood.
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The Hollow Moon Theory; Is the Moon an Artificial Satellite?
The moon is often described as having divine, feminine energy – the female counterpart to our Sun. It is a source of cosmic phenomena, providing us with beautiful eclipses, changing tides, and hopefully a future staging point for missions to Mars and beyond. But when we start to look at the moon under a closer lens, a number of aberrant characteristics suggest that it might be hollow — and that there may be a secret moon base.
The Moon Rings Like a Bell
The Apollo missions and subsequent moon landings have been at the center of controversy and conspiracy for years. There has been an interminable debate as to whether we actually landed on the moon, what was found there, or to what extent NASA has been hiding information from us. But amid the quarreling and speculation, the number of anomalous features on the moon has puzzled scientists and conspiracy theorists alike.
Toward the latter end of the Apollo missions, NASA astronauts placed seismic recording devices on the lunar surface to document artificial and natural moonquakes. Their equipment recorded activity ranging from meteorite strikes to man-made explosions, and crash landings of Apollo rockets. Even the sun’s heat created seismic activity when it caused the moon to thaw on a daily basis.
The astronauts were given a series of ALSEPs, or Apollo Lunar Surface Experiment Packages to set up seismographs and initiate detonations ranging from shotgun-like charges to mortars with multiple grenades. Eventually, NASA intentionally crash-landed the Apollo 12 module as well as the S-IVB rocket setting off an explosive force equivalent to nearly 12 tons of TNT.
