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| Astronomer Clyde Tombaugh, who discovered the planet Pluto in 1930, is convinced of the existence of the mysterious tenth planet. |
-The possibility of a tenth planet is a tantalizing one. But what if the tenth planet is not on the edge of our solar system, but next to the sun? In the course of the past century, several astronomers have noticed the movement of a small point, similar to a planet, situated between Mercury and the sun. This hypothetical body has been named Vulcanus, but has never been definitely observed. The object may be a ring of dust or simply a passing asteroid.
If a mysterious celestial body exist, how do we explain the fact that the most powerful telescopes - for example, the Hubble Space Telescope - have not detected it? The answer is simple: if there is a tenth planet, we would have to look for it at the furthest reaches of our solar system, at least 4 thousand million kilometers beyond Pluto. This immense distance makes observation difficult. The only thing that is certain is that it is not a giant planet. If it were comparable to Uranus or Saturn,astronomers would have found it.
Since research has produced no evidence, scientists are working on other hypothesis. Photographs made in the stellar observatory on the island of Hawaii between 1992 and 1994 indicate the existence of at least six primitive celestial bodies at a distance of several thousand million kilometers. If their existence is confirmed, these stars may prove that another planet could never be formed beyond Neptune and Pluto because there is too little matter at that distance and its concentration is too low. But for some astronomers, such as the Pluto discoverer, Clyde Tombaugh - there is reason enough to believe in the existence of the mysterious tenth planet.
***Nowadays, scientists are working hard on other hypothesis since this research had no evidence to prove the existence of the tenth planet. However, we exactly didn't know what was happening out there... Thanks for reading, guys!
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