Niku, a mysterious ice object orbits the Sun backwards
Q. Which chunk of ice has been discovered orbiting the earth in a backward direction and its orbit is titled by 110 from the plane in which all planets stay?- Published on 19 Aug 16a. Viku
b. Diku
c. Niku
d. Ciku
ANSWER: Niku
A mysterious 200 km wide chunk of ice discovered beyond Neptune’s orbit called Niku (which means rebellious in Chinese) has been discovered going around the sun in a backward direction and its orbit is titled by 110 degrees from the plane in which all planets stay.
- The object has been discovered by an international team of researchers that discovered it through the Pan-STARRS-1(Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System 1 Survey)
- Astronomers have discovered many objects such as these beyond the orbit of Neptune.
- These objects are collectively called TNOs or Trans Neptunian Objects.
- They orbit the sun at an average distance of 30 AU or 1.5 billion km.
- Laws of physics dictate that when a planetary system like the Solar System forms, all bodies orbit in the same direction
- But Niku is going clockwise meaning some unknown force is acting on it; orbit of Niku is unusual in that it is nearly perpendicular to the plane of the solar system. It is orbiting in the opposite direction of most solar system bodies
- Scientists posit that undiscovered planet nine could be causing this but the team found the object too close to the rest of the solar system for its orbit to be effected by Planet Nine.
