Scientists at the Carnegie Institute for Science has discovered a new and distant dwarf planet beyond Pluto in our solar system recently in third week of March, 2014. The planet is named as 2012 VP113. The scientists believe that the existence of this planet indicates that there may be another actual planet there which may be ten times bigger than the Earth.
The dwarf planet seems to be around 450 Kms. wide and orbits roughly 12.4 billion kilometers away from the Sun. This distance is roughly 83 Astronomical Units away from Sun. One astronomical unit or AU is 155.838 million Kilometers.
If the size of the dwarf planet is confirmed, it could be qualified as a dwarf planet in the same category of Pluto. The researchers said that the discovery proves the existence of the inner Oort cloud, which is a region of icy bodies that lies far beyond the orbit of Nepture,. The planet is currently named as 2012VP113 as announced on 26th March, 2014.
The size of 2012 VP113 is half the size of Sedna discovered earlier. Dwarf planets such as 2012 VP113 and Sedna, which travels as far as 949 AUs away from the sun on its 11,400-year orbit, form a placid "inner" Oort Cloud distinct from the outer one, the study suggests. Comets that plunge into the inner solar system are thought to be dispatched from the outer Oort Cloud by gravitational nudges from stars passing near our solar system.
The dwarf planet seems to be around 450 Kms. wide and orbits roughly 12.4 billion kilometers away from the Sun. This distance is roughly 83 Astronomical Units away from Sun. One astronomical unit or AU is 155.838 million Kilometers.If the size of the dwarf planet is confirmed, it could be qualified as a dwarf planet in the same category of Pluto. The researchers said that the discovery proves the existence of the inner Oort cloud, which is a region of icy bodies that lies far beyond the orbit of Nepture,. The planet is currently named as 2012VP113 as announced on 26th March, 2014.
The size of 2012 VP113 is half the size of Sedna discovered earlier. Dwarf planets such as 2012 VP113 and Sedna, which travels as far as 949 AUs away from the sun on its 11,400-year orbit, form a placid "inner" Oort Cloud distinct from the outer one, the study suggests. Comets that plunge into the inner solar system are thought to be dispatched from the outer Oort Cloud by gravitational nudges from stars passing near our solar system.
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