Scientists discover mysterious new world that could rewrite entire solar system map
The dwarf planet was hiding at the edges of our solar system
One new major scientific discovery might indicate that astronomers need to rewrite the map of our solar system, as the existence of a mystery Pluto-like dwarf planet has challenged the pre-existing understanding of what lies in the great beyond.
Thanks to advancements in space technology scientists are now able to use complex and high-tech apparatus like NASA's James Webb Telescope to spot far-off points of interest, like improbable bodies of water and potentially habitable planets.
Scientists have now been left shocked at a discovery that might seemingly have been underneath their noses though, as the hunt for one mystery object allowed astronomers to stumble on what could be an even bigger discovery when considering what it could lead to.
As reported by Mashable, space experts have now discovered a new dwarf planet similar to Pluto that exists on the outer reaches of our solar system.
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Temporarily named 2017 OF201, this 'planet' measures around the same size as the aforementioned Pluto at roughly 435 miles wide, according to information from the International Astronomical Union's Minor Plant Center.
Alongside his fellow students, Sihao Cheng, a postdoctoral member of the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton University, spotted 2017 OF201 while on the hunt for 'Planet 9' - which is a supposedly hidden planet within our solar system that some claim holds evidence of life.
While they weren't successful in their search for Planet 9 - and some even suggest that this discovery rules out its existence - 2017 OF201 might just be a more intriguing find for what it implies about our solar system as a whole.
It's not particularly remarkable on its own, but the dwarf planet's orbital path is what makes it truly spectacular. At its nearest point it flies just by Pluto and Neptune at about 44.5 times the distance between Earth and the Sun.
However, it's peak distance away from the Sun sits around 1,600 times the distance from Earth, which is far further than what scientists previously understood our solar system to stretch to.
For example, it would take around 25,000 Earth years for 2017 OF201 to complete a full rotation, which is 9,981% longer than Pluto's current time to orbit the Sun.
It's unclear quite how this dwarf planet managed to reach so far into the edges of our solar system, but much of the area where it currently lies (beyond the Kuiper Belt) was previously understood to be empty, so this discovery prompts further research into what could potentially be hidden there.
"The presence of this single object suggests that there could be another hundred or so other objects with similar orbit and size," explains Cheng, adding that they "are just too far away to be detectable now."
It appears then that the limitation is then just what technology we posses, but this'll surely spur many a scientist on to try and find out if there are any other peculiar objects floating about in the large swathes of our solar system previously understood to be barren.