Everything indicates that the solar system will have another planet

Our solar system. The Astronomy scientists It has been studied for a long time now. But they still did not reveal all his secrets. They were always wondering how giant planets What is Jupiter SaturnAnd Uranus And Neptune It ended up in the orbits we know today. question which a a team Michigan State University (US) is now providing an answer. Who can even confirm the existence of the fifth giant – the famous Planet X -, the ninth Planet in our solar systeme, hidden about 80 billion km from our star.

As a starting point for their work: an interrogation concerning the so-called Nice model – because it was developed at the Côte d’Azur Observatory. This wants the giant planets to occupy a position “built-in” before they migrate to those who occupy them today. All under the influence of the instability that appeared long after the protoplanetary gas disk dissipated. researchers Michigan State UniversityTry to imagine another scenario. that the planets move “rebound effect” Even as the disc evaporates.

“All planetary systems are formed in a disk of gas and dust. It is a natural byproduct of star formationexplains Seth Jacobson, astronomer, in A communication. But when the star shines and begins to burn, irritable Nuclear, emitting light And this disc is heated until it ends up blowing, from the inside to the outside of the system.”

Instability “Very global”

What astronomers of Michigan State University We discovered that this process has created a real hole in the A cloud of gas and dustremnants of our formation Sun. A hole that grew to gradually catch up with the primordial orbits of the giant planets. Which leads to the instability it provokes beautiful model. But the instability created by the simulation here is much earlier. Less than 10 million years after the birth of the solar systemResearchers say. And much faster too. with a mixture of Material Between the inner solar system and the outer solar system.

This process has moved our region of the solar system. Our land grew from there.”, says Seth Jacobson. It also seems that our planet’s geochemistry is ready to confirm the mixture that astronomers have stirred up in Michigan State University While our planet was taking shape. The researchers now consider that this scenario could also apply to other planetary systems. The way the instability in the origin of the current structure of our solar system finally appears “more global” than the Nice model envisions.

A model compatible with the existence of the ninth planet

Description suggested by researchers Michigan State University It also sheds new light on the issue of tenth planet, this mysterious – and still hypothetical – ninth planet that would complete the family picture of our solar system. Remember that according to the Nice model, there should have been a fifth giant planet. But this would have been driven out of our solar system during its period of instability, thus helping others gas giants – those we know well – to settle permanently in their own orbits. The problem is that some astronomers believe that a giant planet is still hiding in the outskirts of our solar system. But they are still struggling to find evidence.

The new model presented here does not provide a definitive answer. The researchers simply note that their simulations give similar results when starting from a system of four or five giant planets. The system consisting of the beginning of four gas giants ends with orbits that match well with the orbits of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. But the system initially consists of five gas giants It eventually appears as most likely to end up with four giant planets. Let’s hope the Vera Rubin Observatory – which is due to be operational at the end of next year – will finally give us the answer!