By analyzing ancient manuscripts and data gathered by Anglo-Saxon Astronomers, in combination with modern data by NASA and other space agencies, experts from Queen’s University hope to narrow down the location of elusive Planet Nine.
In the distant past, ancient astronomers spotted countless things in the night sky.
For example, thousands of years ago, the ancient Egyptians discovered a star located 92 light years away.
We have reported in earlier articles how a study by scientists from the University of Helsinki analyzed an ancient Egyptian papyrus and found it is the oldest preserved historical text of naked-eye observations of a variable star located 92 light years away, the eclipsing binary star Algol.
Now, scientists at Queen’s University in Belfast believe how trails of dust and gas in the night sky, spotted by Anglo-Saxon astronomers may provide evidence of the mysterious Planet Nine.
In 2016, astronomers from Caltech published a study reporting the existence of an undiscovered planet, located in the outermost reaches of our solar system.
It is estimated that Planet Nine has ten times the mass and two to four times the diameter of the Earth.
According to Caltech astronomers, Planet Nine has a massive orbit, meaning that it takes between 10,000 and 20,000 years to make a single pass around the sun.
But even before 2016 have astronomers debated whether such a rogue planet may exist at the edge of our solar system.
But despite searching for the elusive world, astronomers on Earth have still not managed to find it.
According to news reports of January 2016, astronomer Michael Brown suggests there is a ninety percent probability that such a planet really exists. Astronomers say that the existence of such an alien world would explain the strange way distant objects in space move.
And since planet nine has eluded discovery, scientists from Queen’s University believe how ancient depictions of comets in the Dark Ages may provide crucial data on the whereabouts of the mysterious alien world.
Experts believe how ancient Anglo-Saxon accounts, together with modern scientific methods could be used to investigate the effects of such a world and spot it in the sky.
According to medieval historians and astronomers from Queens University, we may learn about the enigmatic planet by exploring the Anglo-Saxon understanding of the cosmos.
Experts combine record of comets spotted by Anglo-Saxon astronomers, as well as contemporary images of space objects, including data obtained from NASA and The Northern Ireland Amateur Astronomy Society.
By combining modern data with ancient accounts, researchers believe they could narrow down the location of planet nine.
“This research project renegotiates the meaning and importance of medieval science and demonstrates how medieval records of comets can help test the theory of the existence of the elusive ‘Planet Nine’.”
