According to a new study, a 5th “Gas Giant” may have once orbited our sun. Astronomers already theorize that undiscovered large planets exist in the outer reaches of our solar system. Could this 5th gas giant be one of them?
The theory is derived from an anomaly in the Kuiper Belt region of icy objects, where Pluto is located. The Kuiper belt is home to other newly discovered dwarf planets such as Orcus, Ixion, Quaoar, Varuna, Haumea, Eris and Makemake.
This is a model of the dwarf planets’ orbits within the Kuiper Belt. The anomaly in this region is a dense node of objects, asteroids, and celestial bodies locked together in the Kuiper Belt. It is referred to as the “Kuiper Belt Kernel.”
It is an anomaly because there is nothing quite like it in the known solar system. This is an image of the kernel: