The recent announcement that a new planet in the solar system was discovered in 2016 pleasantly surprised the scientific world. To study the universe, scientists have been using modern telescopes, but such high-profile discoveries in the field of astronomy are extremely rare. Truly outstanding was the statement of the employees of the California Institute of Technology Konstantin Batygin and Michael Brown, who found circumstantial evidence of the existence of a giant space object in circumsolar orbit. The alleged ninth planet moves at an even greater distance from the Sun than Pluto, which does not fall under the formal definition of a planet.

Astronomers have discovered a rare planetary system with a number of planets resembling the solar system. The system bears a resemblance to our solar system, which has eight planets, but all of its seven planets are approaching their star, which is about 500 light-years from Earth.

Kepler uses the "transit" method to detect new planets, which means looking for the light curves left over from a planet as it passes in front of its star. But the sheer amount of data prevents scientists from examining every light curve, so they developed computer programs to search for the signature of a planetary transit.

Assumptions about the existence of an unknown huge celestial body, located somewhere on the periphery of the solar system, have arisen among astronomers for decades, but reliable confirmation of such ideas has not been found. Scientists have discovered a new giant in the course of a careful study of the trajectories of small celestial bodies moving in the far reaches of the universe. On the this moment no one has yet been able to see this object through a telescope.

This is the first system of seven planets recorded by Kepler. We believe the identification is secure, said Chris Lintott of the University of Oxford, co-author of the Planet Hunters paper. Lintott's team submitted their research to the Astronomical Journal for review. Another group of astronomers from several European countries presented a second study that recorded their discovery of the seventh planet in another scientific publication, The Astrophysical Chest.

All seven planets are much closer to their parent star compared to the distances of the planets in the solar system. In fact, each will fit into the distance between the Earth and the Sun - showing a rather "crowded" space. "That's one of the reasons they're easy to see, because the closer they are to their sun, the more often they orbit them," Simpson said.

So far, the existence of Planet X has been theoretically proven. Materials about the research of astronomers were published on January 20, 2016 in the monthly Astronomical Journal. According to the reviewer of the scientific article Alessandro Morbidelli, who specializes in the dynamics of the orbits of celestial bodies at the University of the Côte d'Azur in Nice (France), provided analytical materials were convincing enough to publish a sensational report in the scientific press. So far, astronomers cannot indicate the exact location of the giant, so they directed all their efforts to search for it.

The new planet is in fifth place from its parent star and takes nearly 125 days to complete an orbit. With a radius 2.8 times the size of Earth, it is part of a group that includes two planets of nearly the same size as Earth, three "super-Earths" and two large bodies.

In a way, it really looks like our solar system, with all the little planets inside and big planets outside. And that's not necessarily what we usually see, said co-author Robert Simpson, University of Oxford. The report New Worlds: New Horizons in Astronomy and Astrophysics marked the discovery of nearly and potentially habitable exoplanets as one of the top three science goals for the next decade. But instead of supporting the mission immediately after Kepler, which now appears to be on track to discover hundreds of new exoplanets over the next few years, the committee recommended replacing the exoplanet campaign in the coming years with a dark energy mission.

On the way to discovery

Even 100 years ago, astronomer Percival Lovell, who is one of the discoverers of Pluto, suggested that "Planet X" exists on the periphery of the solar system. Many scientists were convinced that the most distant objects from the Sun move along inexplicable trajectories. Moreover, this movement occurs in one direction. This phenomenon can only be explained by the presence of a giant celestial body, namely, a planet, which affects their crowding during rotation around the Sun.

In addition, he recommended that the dedicated search for exoplanets be postponed until the next "study of the decade". Another particular blow to exoplanet hunters in the new research has been a recommendation against Space Interferometry, a space-based observatory that could be up and running before the end of the last decade.

Astrometry is hard to sell. We probably found Earth-mass planets in Earth-like orbits around stars close to the Sun. Kepler should be sensitive enough to detect terrestrial worlds, but the device is more interested in observing a large number distant stars than a small number of local stars, the proximity of which would allow more detailed study of any planetary satellites.

In their work, the scientists who discovered the new giant used careful observations of the trans-Neptunian object 2012 VP113, carried out by Scott Sheppard and Chadwick Trujillo back in 2004. In the course of these observations, the so-called perihelion argument of the most distant physical orbits of celestial bodies in the Kuiper Belt was discovered. The fundamental point in the study was that the studied orbits are directed in one direction and are almost identical. Because of this, astronomers were able to calculate the orbit of Planet X.

This was the sequence recommended by the Advisory Committee on Astronomy and Astrophysics Exoplanet Task Force, which advises NASA and other government agencies. This observatory will use the Joint Dark Energy Mission proposed by NASA and the Department of Energy to create a census of exoplanets in the Milky Way's central cluster.

But incorporating a microlight mission into a major mission means good news for the proponents of the technique. That this can be done with essentially the same tools needed to harness dark energy is a fantastic coincidence and unique opportunity. It's great that the council recognized this, says Gaudí.


Preliminary data on the new planet

According to scientists, the new planet in the solar system 2016 has the following parameters:

  1. Its mass exceeds the mass of the Earth by 10 times.
  2. The space object is 20 times farther from the Sun than Neptune.
  3. The planet moves in a very elongated elliptical orbit.
  4. A full revolution of Planet X around the Sun takes 10-20 thousand years.
  5. The minimum distance from this object to the Sun is 200 astronomical units.
  6. This celestial body has satellites.

Scientists have suggested that Planet X was formed during the first 3 million years of the existence of the solar system, when it was completely covered with a gas cloud. Probably, the giant consists of the same components as Neptune and Uranus. Thus, this celestial object has an age of 4.5 billion years.

As the report determines the decade, there is still something to be discovered. There is a lot of effort to keep exoplanet researchers busy, even in the absence of an important groundbreaking mission, Seager says. And a more important breakthrough in the coming years could drastically impact the field and surpass recommendations from the end of the decade.

One thing that is unlikely to change much in the next decade is funding. French edition reviewed and corrected. Study solar system is the first updated and corrected French translation of The Study of the Solar System. The translator collaborated with the author to provide over 70 updates, including 7 new images.

According to Konstantin Batygin, a native of Russia, Planet X is distinguished by its colossal mass. Today it is defined as a celestial body that dominates the peripheral part of the solar system. Its gravitational field has a significant impact on the orbits of celestial objects in the Kuiper Belt. Astronomers made such conclusions on the basis of mathematical modeling.

Many color illustrations show everyday life strange and fascinating worlds of our little corner of the universe. Of the latest discoveries of the solar system, Peter Bond offers a comprehensive and exemplary panorama of the planets, moons, and other small bodies in orbit around the sun and nearby stars.

The text, rich but clear, punctuates anecdotes about the dangers of discovery, the treasures of ingenuity to eliminate space probes a billion kilometers away, the stubbornness of astronomers using the slightest clue to find out more than what they thought.

At the moment, thanks to the calculations of scientists, the new planet 2016 has a mass and general characteristics, and its physical and Chemical properties unknown. According to astronomers, it chemical composition differs little from such giants as Neptune and Uranus. More accurate data on Planet X can only be obtained by sending a research spacecraft like New Horizons. The path to this celestial object is long, so information about its physical and chemical properties will not be received soon.

Planetology live like a detective novel. This richly illustrated book is intended for readers and students with little or no scientific knowledge, proves that planology can be told like a police novel, with little to no math.

Among thousands of other examples can be found. This is where mundane meteorite analysis becomes an amazing exploration to find its original asteroid. Translation of the English version. Peter Bond is the author of 10 books and hundreds of articles in the fields of astronomy and geosciences. As a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society and the British Interplanetary Society, he has long been a consultant to the European Space Agency.

Reasonable Doubts

Many fellow astrologers, in particular Professor Hal Levinson (Southwestern Research institute in Boulder (Colorado)), are looking forward to observations of Planet X through a telescope, because they consider the statement of K. Batygin and M. Brown about their discovery to be false. At the same time, its authors rightly note that it will be problematic to detect this celestial body in the currently existing telescopes, since it is located at a great distance from the Sun. Such a distance from the Sun makes the planet dim, which does not allow you to see it. Even attempts to detect this object using the super-powerful Subaru telescope (Hawaii) did not lead to success.

Nicolas Dupont-Bloch regularly devotes himself to the popularization of astronomy. Co-author of the star clock, his photographs and materials were published in the journal Astronomy and Lunar Picture of the Day. This book is about that small space in the universe, a small expansion of mostly empty space surrounding a common star in the suburbs of a galaxy called Milky Way, known as the solar system. occupied by the Sun, eight planets, natural satellites and a dozen dwarf planets, and many even smaller bodies.

Pioneer astronomers have high hopes for the Synoptic Observing Telescope (Chile) due to be operational in 2020. Another difficulty in visual observation of Planet X is that to detect an object it is necessary to survey a huge part of the sky, which will take at least 2 -3 years.

Name of the new planet

At the moment, there is only a theoretical model of the planet, but it itself has not been found with a telescope, so astronomers consider the question of the name to be premature. There is a chance that opening with mathematical model will not be confirmed. At the same time, M. Brown and K. Batygin argue that if their theory is confirmed, they will entrust the choice of the name of the celestial object discovered by them to the world community.

Why is it important to explore and understand the solar system? Because the third planet from the Sun is our home: at present, the Earth is the only known place where living organisms and intelligence live, the only known place that has ever protected it. This world of "Golden Loops" is the cradle of humanity, a fragile oasis in the vastness of space. In any case, the Earth ship is the object of many threats and tensions, some of which are the activities of mankind, such as deforestation, atmospheric pollution and emissions of gases that destroy ozone layer. others refer to natural planetary phenomena, such as movements of the earth's crust, changes in sea levels.

Video about the discovery of a new planet

New scientific research of the planet of the solar system - Mars

Scientists have discovered that the highest mountain in the solar system, Mount Olympus (lat. Olympus Mons), is located on Mars. Its height is 21.2 km from the base. Actually, it's a volcano. It is several times higher than Everest, and its area would cover the entire territory of France.

Some of them are external, such as solar flares and strange asteroids. Earth is an ever-evolving world experiencing ice age, rock formations, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and destructive cosmic impacts. It is here that the study of the Sun, planets and other bodies of the solar system comes to the fore. Only by comparison, by emphasizing the differences in the evolution of all these disparate bodies, can we hope to understand the past, present and future of our Earth.

This scientific undertaking became possible due to the advent of the spatial era. In this great era discoveries modern technologies allowed us to build robotic spaceships and robots capable of exploring for us, spinning adventures in the vast and hostile ocean of space, finding and exploring new worlds. For more than half a century, hundreds of robotic spaceships were launched from Earth to observe on close range all the planets and many other celestial objects in our solar system.

As a result of recent research by NASA scientists, it was found that the soil of Mars is remarkably similar to the soil in your summer house or backyard of a country house. It contains all the nutrients necessary for life support. Martian soil is ideal for growing asparagus and turnips.

New scientific research of the planet of the solar system - Venus

This book is rooted in the flood of information that was returned to us by these probes, allowing scientists to build a realistic representation of our solar system for the first time. seeing rock overlays, volcanic eruptions, dried up riverbeds and glacial formations on dozens of other worlds, most of which are completely different from what is seen on Earth. Years ago my imagination was fired by books describing a family outer worlds, orbiting the Sun, although at that time the information was, for the most part, purely speculative.


Scientists have developed a theory that suggests that particles of life can move with solar pressure. But this can only happen away from the Sun. That is, from Earth, life could get to Mars, and to Earth - only from Venus. In other words, there is a possibility that life once existed on Venus, but as the Sun warmed, the biomass on Venus began to decompose, life gradually disappeared, which means that when the Sun heats up even more, the same can happen to the Earth.
It is very important to study Venus. On this inhospitable planet, the surface temperature reaches 480 degrees Celsius, and the pressure is 92 times greater than on Earth. The planet is shrouded in thick clouds of sulfuric acid. By studying Venus, scientists will be able to find out why it became so ugly and how the Earth can avoid a similar fate.

Exploration of the solar system was conceived as the first approach for students of the solar system. with limited academic experience. It is also meant to offer knowledge and inspiration to all who turn their gaze to the night sky and want to learn more about the alien worlds that inhabit this small corner of the universe.

After an introductory chapter with an overview of the solar system, this book aims to describe methodically the characteristics of each major planet and its set of natural satellites, as well as the smallest bodies in the vicinity of the Sun. The last chapter offers the reader the opportunity to compare our solar system to systems gravitating around distant stars, where many amazing exotic exoplanets have been discovered. Centimeters, even two minutes. However, it was enough for European astronomers to open a new view of the outer regions of the solar system, where, in addition to Neptune, they roam the crumbs of the formation of planets orbiting the Sun.

New scientific research of the planet of the solar system - Mercury



NASA recently launched a spacecraft specifically designed to study the planet Mercury. According to planetary scientists, the diameter of the first planet in the solar system has decreased by about seven kilometers. Measurements were made using the Messenger probe, which showed that Mercury began to cool and "deflate" at a much faster rate than expected.

Through a star shielding technique that consists of photographing the passage of a celestial body in front of a star and analyzing how and how it changes its brightness, they found that Haumea is larger and less dense than thought and is surrounded by a ring of debris, like Saturn. The Spaniards, led by José Luis Ortiz, mobilized a network of European observers to such an extent that they had more open eyes on the 113 that were estimated as the length of the dwarf planet passed in front of the star.

The telescopes also included astronomical observatory the Aosta Valley in Nusa, but it was only on the edge of the band on which the star projected the shadow of Haumea. Astronomer Albino Carbonani was unable to directly observe the damping, but proved crucial to the analysis of data collected by all other instruments. "In the passage of Haumea, the starlight shortage was immediate and not gradual, proving it doesn't have an atmosphere like Pluto," says St. Barthelemy Observatory. Then came a ring of powders and ice, found through "other intriguing starlight attenuations just before and just after Haumea's occultation," Carbognani says. "For the first time, we have found a ring around a trans-Tuntun object."

Most of Mercury is a red-hot core, which is covered by a thin shell of the crust and mantle. It was formed about 4.5 billion years ago, and since then has cooled, decreasing in volume.

The Messenger probe regularly photographed the surface of Mercury. After analyzing the resulting images, experts at the Carnegie Institute of Science in Washington found that the rate of compression of the planet is about 8 times greater than previously thought.

New scientific research of the planet of the solar system - Jupiter



The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) website has published a new image of Jupiter taken from the Juno spacecraft.
The photo clearly shows numerous storms in the atmosphere of the planet. Some formations resemble tangled threads of yarn. Wind speeds on Jupiter can exceed 600 km/h.
We add that now all scientific instruments of Juno are functioning normally. The device will operate until at least February 2018. After that, the station will be deorbited and sent into the atmosphere of the gas giant, where it will cease to exist.