Thomas Neville E Sci IH Current Event #1C Even
Citation: Vergano, Dan. "Dwarf Planet Discovery Hints at Hidden World
Orbiting Solar System."National
Geographic. National Geographic Society, 26 Mar. 2014. Web. 28 Mar. 2014.
Dwarf Planet Discovery Hints at Hidden
World Orbiting Solar System
A new celestial body has been discovered roughly 80 AU from the sun. 2012
VP113, referred to affectionately as “Biden” by astronomers, is the second planet-like
object discovered within the Oort cloud, the first being an ice dwarf named
Sedna that was discovered in 2003. The Oort cloud is a collection of comets and
frozen ice crystals that exist at the very edge of our solar system that
extends an estimated 1,000 AU. The discovery of “Biden” proves what the
discovery of Sedna suggested: that planets and planet like objects do exist
within the Oort cloud, a possibility that was doubted by many astronomers who
viewed the original discovery of Sedna as a fluke. Perhaps the most important thing
we have learned from the discovery of VP113 is evidence of even more planetoids
lurking within the Oort cloud. Astronomers have observed gravitational pulls
influencing VP113’s orbit that suggests undiscovered celestial bodies within
the Oort cloud. Some Astronomers even say that a few of these planetoids could
potentially earn the right to be called a planet in its own right. However,
even if there are more objects like Sedna or VP113 in the Oort cloud, most of
them are probably hundreds of AU out into space due to the fact that both Sedna
and VP113 have extremely high eccentricity with the perihelion distance of
VP113 at 80 AU while its Aphelion distance is nearly 470 AU. The only reason we
can see VP113 right now is because it is approaching its perihelion, if it were
much farther in space we wouldn’t ever notice it. So even if there is another
planet out there in the Oort cloud, it may just be too far away for us to ever
know it’s there.
I picked this article because of the potential significance this
discovery could have on how we define our solar system and because I feel that
the Oort cloud is a sort of final frontier for astronomers observing our solar
system. I feel that many of the next major astronomical discoveries within our
solar system will be made inside the Oort cloud because I think that the most
exciting discoveries come from the places we know the least about and when it
comes to our solar system there is no place we know less about than the Oort
cloud.
My article was from NatGeo so it was pretty well doe in terms of
research and details. I really liked how the article referenced not only VP113
but also Sedna and even Pluto and how they could have at one time all
orbited around the same planet. It was a fascinating part of that article that
really didn’t need to be there to get the point across but still added
substance and variety to the piece. The article didn’t leave me with a feeling
of awe about just how far away VP113 is. The author kind of just threw
statistics at me with a brief explanation of what they meant, which was boring and I usually get
blown away by the scale of the universe. So if I, a High School Sophomore, were
to criticize the author, a senior science correspondent at a major magazine, on
one thing it would be that he never shocked me with his numbers and that he
needs to learn how to present his statistics on space in a way that will leave
the audience in awe at the grandeur of the universe.
Hello Thomas, great job on this article. I really the content and what you had to say on the topic. I find dwarf planets incredibly interesting and almost mind boggling to learn about. That there are these massive objects relatively close to us that are still being found. I also think it is really cool how these planetoids are so highly debated in the astrology world, and how much debate there is on whether they should be considered planets or not. Personally I believe they should be as it would be interesting to learn more in depth about planets. They are things I find so hard to fathom with their monstrous size and distance from us. It manages to put your single, small body more into context. Another thing I find really boggling is that this news still relatively recent in 2012 was not more published by the media. I mean what is more important than discovering planetoids. This is a nicely written paper, but I will point out how there are a decent amount of spelling mistakes. Also I did find it really cool how the Oort cloud 80AU or so from the sun can be considered the edge our solar system even though it extends 1000 AU from the sun.
ReplyDelete-William Tague
Thank you Will for the thoughtful comment.
ReplyDeleteThomas, why is this not on "Turnitin"? I had to hunt for your report in the dark of internet space, much like an astronomer seeking a planet in the furthest reaches of the Oort Cloud.
You summary was well done. I think there were a few interesting points in the original article about what this distance minor planetary objects may indicate about our early solar system and how it formed. It also may be interesting to look up what is meant by a "rogue" planet.