{"id":3205,"date":"2021-02-20T11:00:29","date_gmt":"2021-02-20T11:00:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thenextweb.com\/?p=1339805"},"modified":"2021-02-20T11:00:29","modified_gmt":"2021-02-20T11:00:29","slug":"move-over-farout-farfarout-is-now-the-most-distant-object-in-our-solar-system","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/?p=3205","title":{"rendered":"Move over Farout, Farfarout is now the most distant object in our solar system"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Deep in the dark, frigid expanse of the outer solar system, Farfarout slowly orbits the distant Sun, taking 1,000 years to complete each lonely orbit. First discovered in 1997 by astronomers at the Subaru eight-meter telescope on Maunakea in Hawaii, details of this frozen world are just now being revealed.<\/p>\n

Astronomers Scott Sheppard of the Carnegie Institution for Science, David Tholen from the University of Hawaii, and Chad Trujillo from Northern Arizona University have measured just how far out Farfarout is \u2014 about 132 astronomical units (AUs) from the Sun. (One AU is the distance between the Earth and Sun- about 150 million km or 93 million miles).<\/p>\n

The trio of astronomers has been searching the region of the Solar System beyond <\/span>Pluto<\/a> since 2012, looking for other planetary bodies that may float in the frozen expanse. This intrepid team of planetary explorers also found the previous record-holder, FarOut, traveling around the Sun 124 AUs from the center of our solar system. By comparison, Pluto, once considered the ninth planet, orbits about 40 AUs from the Sun.<\/p>\n

[Read: How do you build a pet-friendly gadget? We asked experts and animal owners<\/span><\/a>]<\/em><\/p>\n

Crossing paths with Neptune \u2014 like Aquaman<\/h2>\n
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\u201cThe mariner of old said to Neptune in a great tempest, \u2018O God! thou mayest save me if thou wilt, and if thou wilt thou mayest destroy me; but whether or no, I will steer my rudder true.\u2019\u201d \u2014 Michel De Montaigne<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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<\/i><\/a>A pair of images of Farfarout, recorded by astronomers at the Subaru Telescope on January 15 and 16, 2018. Image credit: Scott S. Sheppard\/Carnegie Institution for Science<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

Every 10 centuries, Farfarout completes another orbit of the Sun, while crossing the orbit of Neptune several times. These close encounters would likely result in occasional interactions between Farfarout and Neptune. Astronomers believe these close encounters might explain the highly-elliptical orbit of this distant world. Farfarout comes as close as 27 AUs from the <\/span>Sun<\/a>, and travels out as far as 175 times as far from the Sun as the Earth.<\/p>\n

\u201cFarfarout was likely thrown into the outer Solar System by getting too close to Neptune in the distant past. Farfarout will likely interact with Neptune again in the future since their orbits still intersect,\u201d <\/span>Trujillo<\/a> <\/span>said.<\/p>\n

The long, slow <\/span>orbit<\/a> <\/span>presents challenges for astronomers seeking to understand its orbit.<\/p>\n

\u201cA single orbit of Farfarout around the Sun takes a millennium. Because of this long orbital, it moves very slowly across the sky, requiring several years of observations to precisely determine its trajectory,\u201d <\/span>Tholen<\/a> <\/span>stated.<\/p>\n

Observations suggest Farfarout is roughly 400 km (250 miles) across, just on the boundary of being classified as a <\/span>dwarf planet<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In the video below, an examination of how astronomers search for an unseen planet at the edge of our Solar System. (Video credit: Nova PBS Official)<\/p>\n

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