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Outer Solar System

All articles tagged with #outer solar system

Huygens on Titan: the 2005 landing that still stands as humanity’s only outer-solar-system touchdown
space4 days ago

Huygens on Titan: the 2005 landing that still stands as humanity’s only outer-solar-system touchdown

ESA’s Huygens lander descended through Titan’s orange haze in January 2005, touched down after about 2.5 hours, and transmitted for roughly 72 minutes from the surface; as the part of the Cassini-Huygens mission, it remains the only landing in the outer solar system to date. Titan’s thick nitrogen-rich atmosphere, frigid surface around -179 C, and the mission’s long, multi-step descent informed future exploration (e.g., NASA’s Dragonfly) and underscored the scale and distance of far-off planetary exploration; the mission cost was about $3.9 billion.

via Space Daily|
#cassini-huygens#huygens#outer-solar-system
Vera Rubin Observatory Poised to Probe Planet 9’s Existence
space25 days ago

Vera Rubin Observatory Poised to Probe Planet 9’s Existence

New statistical work strengthens the case for a hidden ninth planet beyond Neptune: distant objects show non-random clustering that simulations including Planet 9 reproduce, while models without it do not. The exact location remains unknown, but the Vera Rubin Observatory’s first observations are expected to provide a decisive test of Planet 9’s existence.

via The Daily Galaxy|
#astronomy#outer-solar-system#planet-9
Uranus’s Distant Rings Reveal Two Separate Origins
space-and-spaceflight1 month ago

Uranus’s Distant Rings Reveal Two Separate Origins

Astronomers using Keck, Webb, and Hubble analyzed Uranus’ faint outer rings and found two distinct compositions: the blue μ ring consists of tiny icy grains likely sourced from Mab, while the red ν ring is rocky with about 10–15% carbon-rich organics, suggesting different formation histories for the planet’s second ring system. The study, published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, highlights how ring material traces back to source bodies and collisions, with implications for Uranus’s formation and a need for future close-up observations.

via Gizmodo|
#outer-solar-system#planetary-science#rings
Scientists suggest a hidden Earth-sized planet may be closer than 'Planet Nine'
science7 months ago

Scientists suggest a hidden Earth-sized planet may be closer than 'Planet Nine'

A recent study suggests the possible existence of a small, Earth-sized planet, dubbed 'Planet Y', in the outer Solar System, inferred from a 15-degree tilt in the Kuiper Belt objects' orbital plane, which could explain gravitational influences in that region. The discovery is not confirmed but provides a promising direction for future planetary searches.

via ScienceAlert|
#astronomical-tilt#kuiper-belt#outer-solar-system
Scientists Discover Evidence of Hidden Planet Y Beyond Neptune
science8 months ago

Scientists Discover Evidence of Hidden Planet Y Beyond Neptune

Scientists analyzing the orbits of Kuiper Belt objects have found evidence suggesting the existence of a hidden planet, called Planet Y, which could be at least 25 times more massive than Pluto and located 100-200 times Earth's distance from the Sun. This discovery is based on the warped orbital plane of distant Kuiper Belt objects, and upcoming surveys like the LSST may confirm its existence.

via ZME Science|
#astronomy#kuiper-belt#outer-solar-system
Scientists Search for Hidden Massive Object at Solar System's Edge
science10 months ago

Scientists Search for Hidden Massive Object at Solar System's Edge

Scientists continue to investigate the possibility of a massive undiscovered planet, 'Planet Nine', influencing the orbits of distant objects in the Kuiper Belt, though recent discoveries and limited observational data make its existence uncertain. The search relies on telescopic observations, as space travel to the outer solar system would take over a century.

via Phys.org|
#astronomical-observations#kuiper-belt#outer-solar-system
Mysterious Trans-Neptunian Object Moves in Sync with Neptune
science10 months ago

Mysterious Trans-Neptunian Object Moves in Sync with Neptune

Astronomers have discovered a rare object, 2020 VN40, in the outer solar system that moves in a unique 10:1 resonance with Neptune, challenging existing ideas about the movement and evolution of distant solar system objects. This discovery, along with others like 'Ammonite,' provides new insights into the gravitational influences and history of our solar system's outer regions.

via Forbes|
#2020-vn40#distant-objects#neptune
Astronomers Uncover New Clues About Potential Ninth Planet and Solar System Fossil
science10 months ago

Astronomers Uncover New Clues About Potential Ninth Planet and Solar System Fossil

Taiwanese astronomers have found promising evidence for the existence of Planet 9, a hypothesized distant planet beyond Pluto, by analyzing infrared data from the IRAS and AKARI satellites. They identified a slow-moving object consistent with the expected characteristics of Planet 9, though further observations are needed for confirmation.

via The Daily Galaxy|
#astronomical-surveys#infrared-data#kuiper-belt
New Discoveries Unveil a 380-Kilometer World and Evidence of a Ninth Planet in Our Solar System
science10 months ago

New Discoveries Unveil a 380-Kilometer World and Evidence of a Ninth Planet in Our Solar System

A new object named Ammonite, estimated to be between 220 and 380 kilometers in diameter, has been discovered in the outer reaches of our Solar System, providing insights into the early history and dynamics of the solar neighborhood. Its orbit suggests it has been stable for over 4.5 billion years and may challenge the existence of Planet Nine, offering clues about the forces shaping the distant solar system.

via IFLScience|
#ammonite#outer-solar-system#planet-nine