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Scientists, telescope hunt massive hidden object in space
You know how you sometimes can sense that something is present even though you can't see it? Well, astronomers are getting that feeling about a giant, hidden object in space.
And when we say giant, we mean GIANT.
Evidence is mounting that either a brown dwarf star or a gas giant planet is lurking at the outermost reaches of our solar system, far beyond Pluto. The theoretical object, dubbed Tyche, is estimated to be four times the size of Jupiter and 15,000 times farther from the sun than Earth, according to a story in the British paper The Independent.
Astrophysicists John Matese and Daniel Whitmire from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette think data from NASA's infrared space telescope WISE will confirm Tyche's existence and location within two years.
The presence of such a massive object in the solar system's far-flung Oort Cloud could explain a barrage of comets from an unexpected direction, according to a December article at Space.com.
Its 27 million-year orbit could also explain a pattern of mass extinctions on Earth, scientists say.
Brown dwarfs are cold "failed" stars; their dimness and lack of heat radiation can make them hard to detect. Gas giants are huge planets - like Saturn, Jupiter and Neptune - that are made up of gases and may lack a solid surface like Earth's.
Whitmire told The Independent that Tyche will probably be composed of hydrogen and helium and have colorful spots, bands and clouds like Jupiter.
"You'd also expect it to have moons," he said. "All the outer planets have them."
Tyche was first hypothesized in 1984 as Nemesis, a dark companion star to the sun. It's been the subject of astronomical research and debate ever since. In July, another Space.com article said the celestial evidence suggests Tyche could not possibly exist.
To distinguish it from the Nemesis star theory, Matese and Whitmire are calling their object Tyche, after the good sister of the goddess Nemesis in Greek mythology.
Their research is published in Icarus, the International Journal of Solar System Studies.
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Oh look, journalists found an old story and told it again. What will they report next? BREAKING NEWS: bread now comes SLICED!
ok...let's try this....
Don't get kocky.
My butt itches
Leia is a b1tch
Luke, you need to pass me the fan so I can give you the initial drive (otherwise known as the warp drive)c now can you stop being a brat and give me the fan. Geez, humans.
Inertial drive*
Don't be too proud of this technological terror you've constructed. The ability to destroy a planet is insignificant next to the power of the Force! "breath in* *breath out*
*takes off his helmet*
Your stupid, you know why? If we can see stars that are 500 million lightyears away, why cant we see this one?
It seems that size does matter after all....
" You Like me because I'm a Scoundrel, There arn't enough Scoundrels in your life " !
I see your schwartz is as big as mine.
No, mine is bigger, it was just cold that day.
What if they find it and it starts braodcasting "resistance is futile"? Of course then it would be a cube, not a sphere....
Oh great, now I have to eat more bacon because I don't know if I'll live long enough to have the amount of Bacon needed to fill my void of love for bacon. My Theory is that it's probably not Bacon out there, so to me it's not good. Bacon is good. All bow to Bacon.
Doctor Hans Zarkov: What do you find? The moon out of orbit?
Munson: By more than 12 degrees. This must be some sort of mistake.
Doctor Hans Zarkov: No, it's no mistake... IT'S AN ATTACK! I've been right all these years!
It's Homer Simpson...after all, isn't the entire universe a pitri dish with Lisa Simpson's lost tooth in the middle?
I've lost R2!!!!!
Not again !!
How many times have I told you to tie hem to the hull of the ship ????