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Orbiting Object Beyond Neptune
Gizmodo • • science
Key Points:
- Astronomers have discovered an unusual object, designated R631, in the outer solar system with a highly inclined retrograde orbit, cutting across the Sun’s orbital plane at 142 degrees.
- R631 was first spotted by the Rubin Observatory in Chile beyond Neptune’s orbit, approximately 3 billion miles from the Sun, and takes about 548 years to complete one orbit.
- The object may be a 62-mile-wide comet and could begin showing activity as it nears perihelion in 2047, but its composition and origin remain uncertain.
- Two main theories explain R631’s retrograde orbit: it could be an interstellar object captured by the Sun’s gravity after being ejected from another star system, or it may have originated in our solar system and been flung into its unusual path by a close encounter with a giant planet.
- Scientists will continue monitoring R631 to gather more data and determine its nature and origin as it approaches closer to the Sun.
