Dwarf planet 2018 VG18: Fernstes object in the solar system detected

Beyond the Neptune’s orbit numerous smaller and larger celestial bodies in orbit at the edge of the solar system. The objects of the Kuiper belt, including the dwarf planets Pluto, Eris, and Haumea. May be an unknown ninth Planet orbiting there. As the American astronomer Scott Sheppard, David Tholen, and Chad Trujillo using the Subaru telescope in Hawaii, searched the sky for the mysterious planet, they noticed a faint point of light. He should turn out, finally, as a hitherto unknown larger celestial body. A little later the discovery of the three astronomers could be confirmed by another telescope.

Manfred Lindinger

editor in the Department “nature and science”.

F. A. Z.

To the Surprise of the researchers, the object turned out with the provisional name of “2018 VG18” than the most distant previously known celestial body in our solar system. Its distance from the sun: about 18 billion kilometers, which corresponds to the 120-times the distance between earth and the sun. Pluto has a 34-fold, and Eris, the 96-times the distance to our Central star. Now, the International astronomical Union (IAU) has recognized the “2018 VG18” officially.

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“2018VG18”, because of its great distance, even jokingly “Farout” (“far-outside”) called, probably has a diameter of approximately 500 kilometers, which corresponds to about one-tenth the size of the planet mercury, the smallest planet in the solar system. The sky the body is one, such as Pluto (Radius 1187 kilometers) to the class of dwarf planet. Because of its great distance from 2018 VG18 needed “” probably more than a thousand years to circle the sun once. The astronomers will keep even the existence of water ice on its surface.

“We are finally going to explore the edges of our solar system, far beyond Pluto,” said Chad Trujillo. A new wide-angle digital cameras that have been installed on some of the most powerful telescopes on earth. Further investigations will show, whether the course of the trajectory of the “Farout” further evidence on the existence of “Planet nine”.