Scientists believe they have found a 'second Earth'; understand

Our planet is positioned in a unique and strategic location in the Solar System, where the distance considered even perfect from the Sun supports life forms like us humans.

Here we have the hydrosphere, lithosphere, biosphere and atmosphere, this set makes our existence possible. Furthermore, other cosmic factors are fundamental, such as, for example, Jupiter being our true protector given its size and distance.

But could there be a planet so similar to ours, to the point of even supporting other ways of life? At first, it is important to contextualize the concept of life itself, after all, a bacteria is a life.

And how the theory of the SecondEarth was developed? The hypothesis is based on the observation of trans-Neptunian objects grouped in specific orbits.

This could be indicative of a significant gravitational influence exerted by a ninth, as yet unobserved, planet. Such gravity would affect the orbit of these objects, leading to the observed clustering.

Is there a hidden planet in the Solar System?

The “second Earth” would have no more than 3 times the mass of Earth and would be located at a distance of around 500 astronomical units from the Sun. An astronomical unit is the measurement of the average distance between the Earth and the Sun.

The most distant star ever discovered in the world Solar system it was 132 astronomical units from the Sun, while Pluto, for example, orbits at an average of 40 astronomical units from our star.

The region of the Solar System beyond Neptune is known as the Kuiper Belt, which contains icy rocks and dwarf planets, also classified as trans-Neptunian objects.

In recent years, many of these objects have been discovered, as well as identifying patterns in their movements. Some of them move in groups with inclined orbits, suggesting the gravitational influence of a larger star.

In 2016, astronomers Mike Brown and Konstantin Batygin proposed the existence of a hypothetical Planet Nine as the cause of this cluster.

According to their theories, this hypothetical planet would be about 6.3 times the mass of Earth and would orbit at a distance greater than 460 astronomical units from the Sun.

(Image: disclosure)

In addition to them, in 2008, Japanese researchers Lykawka and Tadashi Mukai, from Kobe University, also observed a group of trans-Neptunian objects that could be related to the presence of a planet hidden.

They claim that such a star, similar to Earth, would have a mass between 1.5 and 3 times that of Earth and an orbit with its furthest point from the Sun situated between 250 and 500 astronomical units.

However, currently, information about Planet Nine is still limited, and more details are expected to be revealed as research techniques and instruments continue to evolve.

Research into the possible existence of this Earth-like planet was published in The Astronomical Journal and represents an exciting field of astronomy that continues to unravel the mysteries of the System Solar.

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