Ten years later, an article in The Astronomical Journal argued for the existence of Planet Nine because of the altered orbits of nearby space bodies (e.g., comets, asteroids, moons, dwarf planets, etc.). Essentially, something significant acts on their gravity, although it sits too far from the sun to be seen via solar light rays.
Now, a new study may set the stage for Planet Nine’s discovery, hypothesizing that roughly 20 superheated moons orbit it. Seeing these tiny satellites would prove impossible. But due to their high temperatures, one researcher believes they give off weak radio signals capable of telescopic detection. As a result, some astronomers have launched a hunt for hot moons in our area (of the galaxy).
The Outer Solar System’s Massive Ice Giant
While the thought of a giant Planet Nine orbiting at the edge of our solar system might sound sensational (and unthinkable), some believe science firmly backs it. They include Konstantin Batygin of Cal Tech and Mike Brown of the California Institute of Technology, co-writers of the 2016 Planet Nine hypothesis. Brown explains, “It’s not crazy; this is the kind of stuff people are finding all the time. We just need to go out and cover a good swath of the sky.”
Where does Pluto fit into all of this? Everyone’s favorite dwarf planet also sits at the Kuiper Belt’s edge, but it doesn’t have the gravitational pull to explain what’s happening with affected space objects in the area. And Batygin and Brown determined that the solar system’s other giant planets all prove too far away to be culprits. The apparent conclusion? A ninth planet may lurk in the farthest corners of our galaxy.
What We Know About So-Called Planet Nine
If Planet Nine does exist, what do we know about it so far? Scientists estimate it could be between five and ten times the mass of Earth. Moreover, they’ve proposed an elongated orbit for the giant that travels up to 400 times our planet’s distance from the sun. They also believe that, unlike most planets in our solar system, the ice giant may sit 15 to 25 degrees off the main orbital plain.
But these revelations have done little to prove the actual existence of the planet. (Some scientists even claim Planet Nine is a black hole.) To date, the most damaging indictment against the planet remains a total lack of light signatures. But considering its distance from the sun, astronomers who support the Planet Nine theory aren’t surprised.
Why Superheated Moons May Change Everything
Until recently, scientists assumed the only way to prove Planet Nine’s existence was through its eclipse of a distant light source. Think a star or galaxy within the Milky Way. That’s why the recent theory about superheated moons giving off faint radio signals proves so exciting. After all, if scientists know what to look for, they can attune telescopes accordingly.
Radio satellite dishes used to pick up faint signals. via Shutterstock
Detecting these signals would prove easier than crossing our fingers and hoping for an eclipse. Man Ho Chan of the University of Hong Kong developed the superheated moon theory by calculating the maximum number of satellites Planet Nine might support. His final figure came in at 20 moons, measuring up to 62 miles across — small beans for astronomers squinting through telescopes. But, nonetheless, a trail of potential planetary breadcrumbs.
Tidal Heating, Radio Signals, and the Fate of Pluto
Thankfully, Planet Nine’s gravitational pull may provide more clues to its existence through a phenomenon known as tidal heating. We know about tidal heating because of Jupiter’s moon, Io, featuring a highly molten core fueled by the intense gravitational tug-of-war it endures with Jupiter and the planet’s other moons.
If Planet Nine does exist, and tiny moons orbit it, they would be subject to tidal heating, too. Chan estimates their temperatures might come in at approximately 280 degrees Fahrenheit. Compared to the average temperature of outer space, -455 degrees Fahrenheit, that’s a significant temperature increase. Heated to these extremes, the moons would emit radio signals, providing clear evidence of their existence and the giant they circle.
If and when Planet Nine’s hot moons get discovered via radio signals, this begs the question, what should we name it? Astronomers tend to prize consistency and tradition, hence the multi-generational use of Greek and Roman god and goddess monikers (e.g., Venus, Mars, Neptune). But Jean-Luc Margot of UCLA is already lobbying to stick with “Planet Nine,” which would buck trends but has a certain ring to it. Moreover, a title like Planet Nine allows poor, diminutive Pluto to remain forever in our hearts if not in our solar system’s giant planets model.
By Engrid Barnett, contributor for Ripleys.com
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NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — The body of Ugandan Olympic athlete Rebecca Cheptegei — who died after being set on fire by her partner in Kenya — was received Friday by family and anti-femicide crusaders, ahead of her burial a day later.
Cheptegei’s family met with dozens of activists Friday who had marched to the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital’s morgue in the western city of Eldoret while chanting anti-femicide slogans.
She is the fourth female athlete to have been killed by her partner in Kenya in yet another case of gender-based violence in recent years.
Viola Cheptoo, the founder of Tirop Angels – an organization that was formed in honor of athlete Agnes Tirop, who was stabbed to death in 2021, said stakeholders need to ensure this is the last death of an athlete due to gender-based violence.
“We are here to say that enough is enough, we are tired of burying our sisters due to GBV,” she said.
It was a somber mood at the morgue as athletes and family members viewed Cheptegei’s body which sustained 80% of burns after she was doused with gasoline by her partner Dickson Ndiema. Ndiema sustained 30% burns on his body and later succumbed.
Ndiema and Cheptegei were said to have quarreled over a piece of land that the athlete bought in Kenya, according to a report filed by the local chief.
Cheptegei competed in the women’s marathon at the Paris Olympics less than a month before the attack. She finished in 44th place.
Cheptegei’s father, Joseph, said that the body will make a brief stop at their home in the Endebess area before proceeding to Bukwo in eastern Uganda for a night vigil and burial on Saturday.
“We are in the final part of giving my daughter the last respect,” a visibly distraught Joseph said.
He told reporters last week that Ndiema was stalking and threatening Cheptegei and the family had informed police.
Four in 10 women or an estimated 41% of dating or married Kenyan women have experienced physical or sexual violence perpetrated by their current or most recent partner, according to the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey 2022.
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — A rare Bronze-Era jar accidentally smashed by a 4-year-old visiting a museum was back on display Wednesday after restoration experts were able to carefully piece the artifact back together.
Last month, a family from northern Israel was visiting the museum when their youngest son tipped over the jar, which smashed into pieces.
Alex Geller, the boy’s father, said his son — the youngest of three — is exceptionally curious, and that the moment he heard the crash, “please let that not be my child” was the first thought that raced through his head.
The jar has been on display at the Hecht Museum in Haifa for 35 years. It was one of the only containers of its size and from that period still complete when it was discovered.
The Bronze Age jar is one of many artifacts exhibited out in the open, part of the Hecht Museum’s vision of letting visitors explore history without glass barriers, said Inbal Rivlin, the director of the museum, which is associated with Haifa University in northern Israel.
It was likely used to hold wine or oil, and dates back to between 2200 and 1500 B.C.
Rivlin and the museum decided to turn the moment, which captured international attention, into a teaching moment, inviting the Geller family back for a special visit and hands-on activity to illustrate the restoration process.
Rivlin added that the incident provided a welcome distraction from the ongoing war in Gaza. “Well, he’s just a kid. So I think that somehow it touches the heart of the people in Israel and around the world,“ said Rivlin.
Roee Shafir, a restoration expert at the museum, said the repairs would be fairly simple, as the pieces were from a single, complete jar. Archaeologists often face the more daunting task of sifting through piles of shards from multiple objects and trying to piece them together.
Experts used 3D technology, hi-resolution videos, and special glue to painstakingly reconstruct the large jar.
Less than two weeks after it broke, the jar went back on display at the museum. The gluing process left small hairline cracks, and a few pieces are missing, but the jar’s impressive size remains.
The only noticeable difference in the exhibit was a new sign reading “please don’t touch.”
VICTORIA – The British Columbia government is partnering with a bear welfare group to reduce the number of bears being euthanized in the province.
Nicholas Scapillati, executive director of Grizzly Bear Foundation, said Monday that it comes after months-long discussions with the province on how to protect bears, with the goal to give the animals a “better and second chance at life in the wild.”
Scapillati said what’s exciting about the project is that the government is open to working with outside experts and the public.
“So, they’ll be working through Indigenous knowledge and scientific understanding, bringing in the latest techniques and training expertise from leading experts,” he said in an interview.
B.C. government data show conservation officers destroyed 603 black bears and 23 grizzly bears in 2023, while 154 black bears were killed by officers in the first six months of this year.
Scapillati said the group will publish a report with recommendations by next spring, while an independent oversight committee will be set up to review all bear encounters with conservation officers to provide advice to the government.
Environment Minister George Heyman said in a statement that they are looking for new ways to ensure conservation officers “have the trust of the communities they serve,” and the panel will make recommendations to enhance officer training and improve policies.
Lesley Fox, with the wildlife protection group The Fur-Bearers, said they’ve been calling for such a committee for decades.
“This move demonstrates the government is listening,” said Fox. “I suspect, because of the impending election, their listening skills are potentially a little sharper than they normally are.”
Fox said the partnership came from “a place of long frustration” as provincial conservation officers kill more than 500 black bears every year on average, and the public is “no longer tolerating this kind of approach.”
“I think that the conservation officer service and the B.C. government are aware they need to change, and certainly the public has been asking for it,” said Fox.
Fox said there’s a lot of optimism about the new partnership, but, as with any government, there will likely be a lot of red tape to get through.
“I think speed is going to be important, whether or not the committee has the ability to make change and make change relatively quickly without having to study an issue to death, ” said Fox.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 9, 2024.
