Many new discoveries in the field of technology that we can enjoy and use for the convenience of our lives. What if you hear about the discovery of a new planet? Its remote location, of course, makes us curious about how the new planet will look like.
Humans can continue to develop, produce new discoveries, even more so in the universe. Without us realizing it, maybe every time nature experiences changes, whether it's a change in seasons or the addition of members outside the solar system.
We know that there are nine planets orbiting the center of the solar system, the sun. Of the nine planets, only one is fit for human habitation, namely Earth. Are the other planets uninhabitable?
If you look at the structure of the Earth and the nutrient content of the Earth, which is suitable for habitation by living things, it is not found on other planets.
However, since August 26, 2006, scientists agreed to remove Planet Pluto from the list of existing planets, bringing the number of planets in the solar system to eight planets. The planet Pluto was declared missing, partly because it was no longer visible in the orbits of the planets in the solar system.
Discovery of New Planets in the Solar System
Nothing is impossible in this world, it seems that it can also happen at the center of the solar system. Without us knowing there are many new planets discovered. According to the International Astronomical Union (IAU), or the International Astronomical Union, six new planets have been discovered.
The six new planets were named Ceres, Sedna, Orcus, Xena, Quaoar, and UB 313. The size of the six new planets, at the beginning of the discovery, was large. However, after some time, Ceres and UB 313 have now changed their status to new dwarf planets.
The discovery of these new planets is considered normal considering that the celestial bodies at the center of the solar system, which are in their respective orbits, do not rule out the possibility of forming new planets outside the solar system.
How are new planets formed? The sun as the center of the solar system is in control of the formation of this new planet. Around the sun, there is a process called accretion, which causes new planets to form. Not only can new planets form through this accretion process, but they can also form moons, comets, and asteroids.
Small particles that are around the Sun, collide with each other and form larger bodies and eventually reach the size of a planet. The particles that have formed this new planet, over time, finally have the ability to create their own gravity.
Many new planets have been discovered by astronomers. The discovery of the new planet was not only carried out by the International Astronomical Union (IAU), but also by various astronomers around the world, one of which was an astronomer from Indonesia who also discovered new planets.
The following developments from year to year regarding the discovery of new planets outside the solar system:
New Planet Discovery in 2007
Based on the information obtained, this year a new planet was discovered, which was seen in La Silla Chile. This new planet was discovered by European astronomers.
The new planet, called Planet 581 C, is allegedly a new planet similar to Earth where we live. Planet 581 C was seen using the Southern European Observatory telescope.
A German astronomer Wilhelm Gliese, who compiled a catalog of planets orbiting the Star Gliese 581 as part of a survey of stars first published in 1957, discovered Planet Gliese 581g.
This new planet was discovered while orbiting the red star Gliese 581. Because it orbits the red star Gliese 581, this is why the new planet was named Planet 581 C.
This new planet 581 C turns out to have water content, its temperature and shape cannot be known with certainty, and the planet recently it is very far from our Earth. Planet 581 C is 120 trillion miles from Earth.
The new planet Gliese 581g orbits the red dwarf star Gliese 581, 20 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Libra. This distance means that the planet is close enough to its star, so that its orbital time is less than 37 days.
This new planet is almost the size of Earth. The mass of the planet is four times greater than the mass of the Earth. The new planet Gliese 581g has a distance radius of between 1.3 - 2 times the length of Earth's radius.
New Planet Discovery in 2008
Researcher David Charbonneau of the Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, explains the discovery of a new planet.
The new planet, named GJ 121 4b, is about 2.7 times the size of Planet Earth. This new planet has a mass approximately 6.5 times heavier than Earth.
Based on its specific gravity, scientists think GJ 121 4b contains of liquid water with a dense core of iron and nickel and an atmosphere of hydrogen and helium similar to Earth's.
Uniquely, this new planet is a vast ocean, because on this new planet there is not a single continent floating above or rising from the water.
The planet GJ 121 4b was discovered using the SI Earth project. MEarth is a small, Earth-based telescope that detects minute-to-minute changes in the strength of the light from faint red stars known as M dwarfs.
Planet GJ 121 4b turns out to be hotter than our Earth. The atmosphere is also thicker, so the atmospheric pressure against the planet's surface is enormous and very little light has difficulty penetrating the fog to reach the new planet's oceans.
Discovery of New Planets in 2009
European astronomers announced the discovery of 32 new planets outside the solar system. The discovery of the new planet strengthens evidence from the theory that the universe actually has many places where life could be built.
European astronomy researchers stated that the new planets they discovered were not the same size as Earth. Thus, the discovery of new planets, totaling 32 new planets, adds to the number of planets that have been discovered outside the solar system which has reached 400 new planets.
The discovery of 32 new planets using a telescope from the European Southern Observatory. Through this telescope, it can be seen that six of the newly discovered planets are several times the size of Earth.
The six new planets are believed to be able to accommodate habitats of more than 30 percent of Earth's capacity. The two newly discovered planets are five times smaller than Earth. The rest, most of the newly discovered planets are the same size and five times smaller than Jupiter.
Discovery of a New Planet in 2010
We as Indonesians can be proud of what was done by Johny Setiawan, who is currently collaborating with the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy (MPIA) Germany, in discovering the new planet HIP 13044 b.
The new planet HIP 13044b was discovered using the advanced 2.2 meter Spectrograph Telescope in Chile. The new planet, discovered by Johny, takes 16 days to orbit its parent star.
While the star itself has passed the red giant phase. What is the red giant phase? The red giant phase is a size that swells from its original diameter before dying because it runs out of hydrogen.
In addition to the new planet HIP 13044b, Johny and his team have also managed to find eight new planets using the same telescope at the European Southern Observatory's La Silla Observatory, Chile.
The eight new planets are HD 47536 b, HD 11977 b, HD 70573 b, TW Hydrae b, Chi Virgins b, HD 110014 b, and HD 110014 c. The results of the discovery of these new planets have been published in various scientific journals Astronomy & Astrophysics, and The Astrophysical Journal And Nature.
From the various new planet discoveries made by various astronomers, in total there are already 400 new planets outside our solar system. It is possible that another new planet will be found, which can be inhabited by humans like planet Earth.