Move over Farout, Farfarout is now the most distant object in our solar system
Crossing paths with Neptune — like Aquaman
Every 10 centuries, Farfarout completes another orbit of the Sun, while crossing the orbit of Neptune several times. These close encounters would likely result in occasional interactions between Farfarout and Neptune. Astronomers believe these close encounters might explain the highly-elliptical orbit of this distant world. Farfarout comes as close as 27 AUs from theSun, and travels out as far as 175 times as far from the Sun as the Earth.
“Farfarout was likely thrown into the outer Solar System by getting too close to Neptune in the distant past. Farfarout will likely interact with Neptune again in the future since their orbits still intersect,”Trujillosaid.
The long, sloworbitpresents challenges for astronomers seeking to understand its orbit.
“A single orbit of Farfarout around the Sun takes a millennium. Because of this long orbital, it moves very slowly across the sky, requiring several years of observations to precisely determine its trajectory,”Tholenstated.
Observations suggest Farfarout is roughly 400 km (250 miles) across, just on the boundary of being classified as adwarf planet.
In the video below, an examination of how astronomers search for an unseen planet at the edge of our Solar System. (Video credit: Nova PBS Official)
Unexplained movements in the orbits of bodies at the edge of the Solar System may be explained if an unseen planet several times larger than Earth — aPlanet Nine— orbits at the edge of the Solar System. Astronomers search these distant objects for clues to the location of the unseen planet.
“Only with the advancements in the last few years of large digital cameras on very large telescopes has it been possible to efficiently discover very distant objects like Farfarout… Farfarout is just the tip of the iceberg of solar system objects in the very distant solar system.”Sheppardstates.
This trio will continue to explore the outer reaches of the solar system, searching for Planet X — a so-far-unseen world that could still liehidden in the lonesome darkness.
This article was originally published onThe Cosmic CompanionbyJames Maynard, founder and publisher of The Cosmic Companion. He is a New England native turned desert rat in Tucson, where he lives with his lovely wife, Nicole, and Max the Cat. You can read this original piecehere.
Astronomy News with The Cosmic Companionis also available as a weekly podcast, carried on all major podcast providers. Tune in every Tuesday for updates on the latest astronomy news, and interviews with astronomers and other researchers working to uncover the nature of the Universe.
Story byThe Cosmic Companion
Exploring the wonders of the Cosmos, one mystery at a time.Exploring the wonders of the Cosmos, one mystery at a time.
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