Hubble Telescope Confirms Discovery of 10th Planet – Bigger Than Pluto!
Since the Hubble Space Telescope’s construction in 1990, it has dazzled us with breathtaking images of the universe, transforming our understanding of space. Despite its age and small size, the Hubble telescope is still considered one of the most powerful telescopes, surpassing even the most massive ground-based telescopes. Its optics are approaching their third decade of use, but it continues to outperform many of the most advanced telescopes.
The Hubble telescope has made over 1.3 million observations since its mission began in 1990. It has peered billions of years into the past, studied distant galaxies and stars, determined the age of the universe, and even created a 3D map of dark matter. But the discovery that excites us the most is the confirmation of the 10th planet, which is larger than Pluto.
A team of astronomers led by Michael Brown, discovered a new planet dubbed “2003 UB313,” which is further away from the Sun than Pluto. This new object is the Solar System’s farthest directly observed body and the fourth brightest Kuiper Belt object. Brown, along with colleagues Chad Trujillo at the Gemini Observatory in Hawaii, and David Rabinowitz from Yale University, announced that the planet is definitely larger than Pluto.
This new discovery sparked a debate about whether Pluto should still be classified as a planet, with some researchers arguing against it. However, Brown reasoned that if we grant Pluto planetary status, it is inconsistent to deny it to even larger bodies. Pluto orbits the Sun with hundreds of other objects in the Kuiper Belt, a region between 30 and 55 astronomical units from the Sun.
So, why wasn’t this 10th planet discovered earlier? Unlike most planetary orbits, which are roughly in the elliptical plane, 2003 UB313 has an orbit that is 44 degrees off the plane. “No one looks that high up in the sky for these kinds of objects,” Brown said. “We’ve only been looking that high because we’ve looked everywhere else.”
The Hubble telescope’s discovery of the 10th planet, larger than Pluto, is a testament to the extraordinary capabilities of this instrument. It reminds us of how much we have yet to learn about our universe and the marvels that await us. With new technology and more powerful telescopes, we can only imagine what other exciting discoveries the future holds.
