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NASA discovery: Hubble Space Telescope finds exoplanet that may provide evidence to Planet Nine theory

JCK5D / Pixabay

There is a long-running theory of another planet in our Solar System apart from Pluto that has been dubbed “Planet Nine.” However, NASA and ESA’s Hubble Space Telescope was able to observe an exoplanet that may back up the theory about the long-mysterious planet.

The long-running theory by astronomers surrounding an elusive planet that is actually part of our Solar System is referred to as the Planet Nine theory. The mysterious planet that astronomers have been searching for is believed to be 10 times bigger than our own planet and 20 times farther from the Sun. The Hubble Space Telescope spotted one exoplanet in a distant star system that may add weight to this theory that there are nine or 10 planets in our own planetary neighborhood.

The exoplanet that the Hubble observed appeared to be orbiting its star from a very far distance. Known as HD106906b, this exoplanet is 11 times the size of the largest planet in our solar system, Jupiter. Astronomers have since started observing this planet’s activities for years, and recently, they were able to determine that HD106906b’s orbit is so large, it takes 15,000 years to complete one trip around its host star that is over 330 light-years away from Earth. The exoplanet also happens to be orbiting so far away from its star, to be specific, over 730 times the distance between our planet and the Sun.

It should also be noted that the orbit that this exoplanet is on is tilted at a slight angle and elongated, which influences the circumstellar disc that surrounds its star system. In our solar system, that is called the Kuiper belt. HD106906b is believed to have started orbiting its star at a closer distance and eventually started moving away from the star over time.

Onto other discoveries, astronomers have also suggested the presence of what is described as a “space superhighway” or a series of space channels formed by gravitational interactions. The invisible structures are also known as “manifolds,” and scientists believe that planets can produce their own manifolds. These manifolds can potentially transport objects between planets in decades instead of taking centuries.

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