& # 39; The Goblin & # 39; could reveal a new ninth planet in our solar system

Pluto, the ninth planet in our solar system, was downgraded from planet to planet dwarf in 2006. So it may surprise some that there is a potential new candidate for the ninth planet, based on the discovery of one planet. another planet recently discovered. heavenly body with a funny nickname.

The newly discovered dwarf planet officially named 2015 TG387 (and nicknamed "the goblin") is not the planet Nine (or planet X, as it is often called). But for the first time near Halloween in 2015, and generally invisible to humans on Earth, with the exception of this time of year, the existence of Goblin, astronomers say, hints at the possibility of another planet not yet visible, the size of Neptune, according to The Guardian.

Another theoretically massive planet located near The Goblin is Planet Nine, revolving around the area known as the Oort Cloud. Due to its size, the gravitational attraction of this invisible planet gives the Goblin a unique extreme orbit that extends to the outermost regions of our solar system, about 60 times farther from the Sun. than Pluto.

No doubt that the sighting and naming of The Goblin – which spans about 186 miles, puts 40,000 years spinning around the sun – will spark new debates around the categorization of planets. For example, an article published in the journal Icarus in February, for example, astronomers noted that asteroids were considered planets until the 1950s and that other criteria should be used to classify planets beyond the "dynamic orbital trajectory".

Yet, over the past decade, scientists have argued that Pluto should be reclassified to the ninth planet, especially since other dwarf planets in outer orbit, such as Sedna and 2012 VP113, have been discovered since the beginning of the century. Astronomers have demonstrated their affinity for the unique characteristics of Pluto, including an underground ocean and a multilayered atmosphere, which he describes as "the second most complex and interesting planet" in our solar system. But if Pluto is not the planet Nine, the hope is that The Goblin can help scientists discover what is.