New planet discovered in our solar system
Exciting news!
On January 28, 2022, astronomers announced the discovery of a new planet in our solar system, which has been named "Farout" (initially known as 2018 VG18). This new planet is a dwarf planet, located in the Kuiper Belt, a region of icy bodies beyond Neptune.
Here are some key facts about Farout:
- Location: Farout is situated about 120 astronomical units (AU) from the Sun, which is roughly 11.4 billion miles (18.4 billion kilometers) away. For comparison, Pluto is about 39 AU from the Sun.
- Size: Farout is estimated to be around 310 miles (500 kilometers) in diameter, making it one of the largest known dwarf planets in our solar system.
- Composition: Scientists believe Farout is composed primarily of rock and ice, similar to other objects in the Kuiper Belt.
- Orbit: Farout takes about 700 Earth years to complete one orbit around the Sun, which is much longer than Pluto's 248 Earth years.
- Discovery: Farout was discovered by a team of astronomers using the Subaru Telescope in Hawaii, led by Dr. Mike Brown from Caltech. The team used a technique called "microlensing" to detect the faint light from the distant object.
This discovery is significant because it expands our understanding of the Kuiper Belt and the formation of our solar system. Farout is one of the most distant known objects in our solar system, and its discovery provides new insights into the evolution of the outer reaches of our cosmic neighborhood.
What do you think about this exciting discovery?