Ozfactor Posted August 13, 2016 #1 Share Posted August 13, 2016 http://www.news.com.au/technology/science/space/mystery-object-in-weird-orbit-beyond-neptune-has-astronomers-puzzled/news-story/c0d71c94960dfa730abf7f6aa60b2e62 ASTRONOMERS are confused by the recent discovery of a mystery object orbiting around the sun backwards. Located in the outer solar system past Neptune, the object was spotted by the Pan-STARRS telescope and has been moving in an opposite direction to the rest of the planets. This abnormal celestial behaviour has seen the object dubbed “Niku” — the Chinese adjective for rebellious 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nnicolette Posted August 13, 2016 #2 Share Posted August 13, 2016 I love when they find something unexplainable. It is a good reminder that we dont really have any idea how and why it all works the way it does. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b0wn Posted August 13, 2016 #3 Share Posted August 13, 2016 1 hour ago, Nnicolette said: I love when they find something unexplainable. It is a good reminder that we dont really have any idea how and why it all works the way it does. And we never will. my friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paperdyer Posted August 13, 2016 #4 Share Posted August 13, 2016 Neptune seems to to the hot shot for the unusual lately. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ashyne Posted August 13, 2016 #5 Share Posted August 13, 2016 It is a "strange object", it goes in reverse, it is 200km across- sounds like an massive alien ship disguised as a celestial body. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A rather obscure Bassoon Posted August 13, 2016 #6 Share Posted August 13, 2016 28 minutes ago, Ashyne said: sounds like an massive alien ship disguised as a celestial body. Ten out of ten for comedy value . 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
khol Posted August 13, 2016 #7 Share Posted August 13, 2016 So looking up why planets orbit in same direction explains the conservation of angular momentum...fair enough, starting at the molecular level within the hydrogen cloud before any planets have formed. I am no physicist and am obviously missing something but what is the mystery here?.. so if its traveling in the opposite direction couldn't it just be an isolated, foriegn body that has been captured by the suns gravity ? So its orbiting in the opposite direction, big deal.. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hawken Posted August 14, 2016 #8 Share Posted August 14, 2016 I guess you could call Niku the 1%er of planets since motorcycle gangs like Hells Angles refer themselves as 1%ers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susanc241 Posted August 14, 2016 #9 Share Posted August 14, 2016 Ashyne - but why would an alien artefact, if such it is, draw attention to itself by bucking the trend? :) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Hammerclaw Posted August 14, 2016 #10 Share Posted August 14, 2016 (edited) 27 minutes ago, Susanc241 said: Ashyne - but why would an alien artefact, if such it is, draw attention to itself by bucking the trend? A puzzle only a sufficiently advance technological communicating species could solve? An alien outpost, easily located by it's position and retrograde orbit? A natural object, captured from the Kuiper Belt or Oort Cloud of a passing star? https://youtu.be/R2BydlXEdkA Edited August 14, 2016 by Hammerclaw 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Merton Posted August 14, 2016 #11 Share Posted August 14, 2016 It's a minor planet in a highly eccentric orbit. The most likely reason for the orbit is that it collided at some point with another minor planet. Another possible reason is that it came from the inner solar system and got thrown out there through perturbations. I think a capture from some other star's retinue is quite unlikely, considering distances, and there would be little point in aliens putting an object so far out and in such a strange orbit. It will be interesting to see if more such objects are found. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MisterMan Posted August 14, 2016 #12 Share Posted August 14, 2016 Rogue bodies being captured by a different star are not a new idea. And there's no reason at all that the rogue would have to move in the same direction as the other bodies. The only thing confusing to me is that the astronomer is confused by what he found. Mildly surprised is what he should have been. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevewinn Posted August 14, 2016 #13 Share Posted August 14, 2016 maybe this body, "Niku" was captured by the yet to be found ninth planet which lurks out there. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozfactor Posted August 14, 2016 Author #14 Share Posted August 14, 2016 on a side note. niku is my new favourite word Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exojjl Posted August 15, 2016 #15 Share Posted August 15, 2016 (edited) Not that unusual. Both Venus and Uranus orbit in retrograde motion (clockwise around the sun) as well as many other satellites like Neptune's moon Triton. What I think is unusual is the rest of the planets (including Earth) who orbit prograde (counter clockwise.) Niku is rare, but not really unusual. Edited August 15, 2016 by exojjl 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exojjl Posted August 15, 2016 #16 Share Posted August 15, 2016 19 hours ago, Ozfactor said: on a side note. niku is my new favourite word It also means "Meat" in Japanese. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exojjl Posted August 15, 2016 #17 Share Posted August 15, 2016 21 hours ago, stevewinn said: maybe this body, "Niku" was captured by the yet to be found ninth planet which lurks out there. Technically speaking there are actually about 19 planets so far including Pluto and the objects beyond Pluto that are bigger than Pluto itself. Niku is about 1/6 the size of Pluto. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danielost Posted August 15, 2016 #18 Share Posted August 15, 2016 1 hour ago, exojjl said: Not that unusual. Both Venus and Uranus orbit in retrograde motion (clockwise around the sun) as well as many other satellites like Neptune's moon Triton. What I think is unusual is the rest of the planets (including Earth) who orbit prograde (counter clockwise.) Niku is rare, but not really unusual. venus and Neptune appeare to orbit ckockwise. because they're upside down. they still orbit in the same direction as all the other planets and dwarf planets. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Habitat Posted August 15, 2016 #19 Share Posted August 15, 2016 26 minutes ago, danielost said: venus and Neptune appeare to orbit ckockwise. because they're upside down. they still orbit in the same direction as all the other planets and dwarf planets. Er.....which way is "up" ? How do I tell when a planet is upside-down ? 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exojjl Posted August 15, 2016 #20 Share Posted August 15, 2016 1 hour ago, Habitat said: Er.....which way is "up" ? How do I tell when a planet is upside-down ? I think because in the case of Neptune it's polar north is facing us if I recall. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waspie_Dwarf Posted August 15, 2016 #21 Share Posted August 15, 2016 3 hours ago, exojjl said: Both Venus and Uranus orbit in retrograde motion (clockwise around the sun) No they don't. Venus and Uranus rotate about their axis in a retrograde motion, that is very different from orbiting... it is the difference between a day and a year, not the same thing at all. 3 hours ago, exojjl said: as well as many other satellites like Neptune's moon Triton. "Other satellites"? Planets are not satellites. Planets orbit a star, satellites orbit a planet. Again, not the same thing at all. Retrograde orbiting satellites are believed to be captured objects and did not form around the planet they orbit. 3 hours ago, exojjl said: What I think is unusual is the rest of the planets (including Earth) who orbit prograde (counter clockwise.) What is unusual about all the planets orbiting in the same direction? This is a usage of the word "unusual" I'm not familiar with. As the leading theory of planetary formation (a theory heavily backed up by observational evidence) is that the planets formed from the same rotating dust and gas clouds then ALL planets SHOULD orbit in the same direction (the same direction that the sun rotates) As such there is nothing unusual in this respect about any of the planets in our solar system. There are planets orbiting other stars which do so in a retrograde orbit... they ARE unusual. 3 hours ago, exojjl said: Niku is rare, but not really unusual. How can something be both rare and not unusual? The very definition of the word rare is that is is unusual: Quote rare adjective, rarer, rarest. 1. coming or occurring far apart in time; unusual; uncommon Source: dictionary.com (My emphasis) At the moment Niku is not only rare, it is unique. 1 hour ago, danielost said: venus and Neptune appeare to orbit ckockwise. Nope, it's Venus and Uranus and they don't appear to orbit clockwise, they rotate clockwise (see above). 1 hour ago, danielost said: because they're upside down. True for Venus which has an axial tilt of 177o not true for Uranus, which has axial tilt of 97.7o (and certainly not true for Neptune which has an axial tilt of 28.32o). 1 hour ago, danielost said: they still orbit in the same direction as all the other planets and dwarf planets. Absolutely correct. 5 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exojjl Posted August 15, 2016 #22 Share Posted August 15, 2016 (edited) 43 minutes ago, Waspie_Dwarf said: "Other satellites"? Planets are not satellites. Planets orbit a star, satellites orbit a planet. Again, not the same thing at all. Retrograde orbiting satellites are believed to be captured objects and did not form around the planet they orbit. You didn't read what I said. I referred to Triton, the moon, as a satellite. I already know satellites orbits planets. I learned that in the 5th grade. Thank you for being confused at what I said *snip* Edited August 15, 2016 by rashore rules 3c, 3f, 5a, 5e Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waspie_Dwarf Posted August 15, 2016 #23 Share Posted August 15, 2016 5 minutes ago, exojjl said: I think because in the case of Neptune it's polar north is facing us if I recall. No, that's Uranus and it's polar north doesn't point specifically at us. As I have already said Uranus has an axial tilt of 97.7o. For approximately 25% of it's orbit the north pole will be point towards the sun (northern summer). For approximately 25% of it's orbit the south pole will be facing the sun (northern winter). For the rest of the orbit Uranus' equator will be approximately pointing at the sun (spring and autumn) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exojjl Posted August 15, 2016 #24 Share Posted August 15, 2016 6 minutes ago, Waspie_Dwarf said: Nope, it's Venus and Uranus and they don't appear to orbit clockwise, they rotate clockwise (see above). True for Venus which has an axial tilt of 177o not true for Uranus, which has axial tilt of 97.7o (and certainly not true for Neptune which has an axial tilt of 28.32o). Absolutely correct. So if Venus orbits counter clockwise like all the other planets then why is it that all the other planets orbit counter clockwise? Your contradicting the facts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waspie_Dwarf Posted August 15, 2016 #25 Share Posted August 15, 2016 (edited) 9 minutes ago, exojjl said: You didn't read what I said. I referred to Triton, the moon, as a satellite. I already know satellites orbits planets. I learned that in the 5th grade. Thank you for being confused at what I said. I read EXACTLY what you said: You said: 3 hours ago, exojjl said: Both Venus and Uranus orbit in retrograde motion (clockwise around the sun) as well as many other satellites like Neptune's moon Triton. The use of the word "other" in that contest means that you are explicitly claiming that Venus and Uranus are also satellites. No such claim would have been made with out the use of the word "other". I was not confused by what you said, you, apparently, are. Edited August 15, 2016 by Waspie_Dwarf typo. 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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