The outskirts of the Solar System is becoming uncanny and increasingly fascinating . Astronomers have just discovered a small minor planet that revolve in the most queer way around the Sun .
The Trans - Neptunian Object is prognosticate Niku , a Taiwanese word that means " malcontent " . And it deserves the name . Niku ’s compass has an 110 ° inclination , meaning that not only is it almost vertical but also that Niku strike in the diametrical direction to all the other major objects in the Solar System .
Niku is 160,000 times fainter than Neptune and is estimated to be less than 200 kilometers ( 124 miles ) in diameter . It ’s the second object on such a retrograde orbit , after 2008 KV42 . These two discoveries might indicate a universe of objective in domain perpendicular to the Solar System ’s planing machine .
“ It suggests that there ’s more going on in the outer solar organization than we ’re in full aware of , ” Centennial State - generator Matthew Holman at the Harvard - Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics , toldNew Scientist .
The find , by the international team of researchers , was possible thanks to the Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System 1 Survey ( Pan - STARRS 1 ) on Haleakala , Maui . The bailiwick has yet to be peer - reviewed and it can be translate on the online repositoryArXiv .
According to the astronomers , the data point also paint a picture there might be another orbital plane in the Solar System . It would extend between the orbit of Saturn to three times the sphere of Neptune , and it would require an orbital tilt high than 60 ° . Some of theCentaurs , a class of nonaged planets in the out Solar System , could be part of this unexampled plane .
At this time , it ’s not exculpated how Niku – or any other target – has achieved such a curious orbit , which keeps it at an average distance of 5.3 billion km ( 3.3 billion miles ) from the Sun . The squad even investigated if the mysterious Planet Nine could have recreate a role , but it seems Niku is beyond its influence .
New surveys like theLarge Synoptic Survey Telescopecould help discover more objects and hopefully find how Niku and its sib got where they are .
[ H / T : New Scientist ]
