Latest news with #Planet9
Express Tribune
27-05-2025
- Science
- Express Tribune
2017 OF201, new dwarf planet beyond Pluto, discovered: How it could change the way we look at solar system map
Astronomers have just unveiled an extraordinary discovery in the far reaches of the solar system that could dramatically change the way we view our cosmic neighbourhood. A new dwarf planet, temporarily named 2017 OF201, has been located in a distant orbit far beyond Pluto. The object, which may be a distant cousin of Pluto, has an orbital path so vast that it takes an incredible 25,000 Earth-years to complete one revolution around the sun. To put this into perspective, Pluto's orbit around the sun takes 248 years. At its furthest distance, 2017 OF201 is more than 1,600 times farther from the sun than Earth, with even its closest approach being still 44.5 times the distance from Earth to the sun. RPG NEWS: Scientists discovered a mysterious new world beyond Pluto, potentially rewriting the solar system's map. This icy world, temporarily named 2017 OF201, is a distant cousin of Pluto. At its farthest, it's over 1,600 times Earth's distance from the sun; at its closest,… — RPG The Random Post Generator (@JimmyMcSqueezle) May 26, 2025 The discovery was announced by the International Astronomical Union's Minor Planet Center on May 21, 2025, following extensive research led by Sihao Cheng, a researcher from the Institute for Advanced Study. Cheng, along with a team of Princeton University graduate students, found the new dwarf planet while searching for a theoretical "Planet 9," a hypothetical world beyond Neptune that may be influencing the behaviour of objects in the outer solar system. Using advanced computer programs, the team sifted through years of images captured by the Victor M. Blanco Telescope in Chile and the Canada France Hawaii Telescope. By identifying bright moving spots in the sky, they were able to pinpoint the location of 2017 OF201. This distant world could potentially qualify as a dwarf planet, with an estimated size of 435 miles in diameter, placing it in a similar category to Pluto. Despite its distance, the object's discovery challenges the prevailing notion of an empty outer solar system. What makes 2017 OF201 particularly interesting is its orbit. Unlike most trans-Neptunian objects, which follow more uniform orbits, 2017 OF201's highly eccentric path raises questions about how it ended up so far out in the solar system. One theory suggests it could have been flung into its wide orbit after encountering a giant planet, such as Neptune or Jupiter. 🚨 New dwarf planet candidate: 2017 OF201 🚨 ~700 km wide, now 90.5 AU from the Sun. Orbit: a = 838 AU, q = 44.9 AU — deep into the inner Oort Cloud. Possibly part of a hidden population totaling ~1% of Earth's mass. 📄 Paper: #dwarfplanet — Tony Dunn (@tony873004) May 22, 2025 Alternatively, the object may have originated in the mysterious Oort Cloud, a theoretical region of icy bodies surrounding the solar system, before it was ejected and later returned. In fact, the discovery of 2017 OF201 suggests that the Oort Cloud, long considered a faint and distant region of space, may actually host a much larger number of objects than previously thought. This revelation could also indicate that other objects similar in size and orbit to 2017 OF201 are lurking out there, waiting to be discovered. Cheng remains optimistic about the potential for more discoveries in this distant region of space. "The presence of this single object suggests that there could be another hundred or so other objects with similar orbit and size," Cheng said. "They are just too far away to be detectable right now." This finding adds another layer of complexity to our understanding of the solar system's outer boundaries. It also raises questions about the very nature of distant space exploration. NASA's New Horizons spacecraft, which made history by sending back detailed images of Pluto and its moons in 2015, is currently journeying beyond the Kuiper Belt, the region where Pluto resides. However, even New Horizons has yet to reach the outermost reaches of the solar system, suggesting that there may be far more out there to discover. The discovery of 2017 OF201 comes at a time when scientists are reevaluating the structure of the solar system. Researchers have long speculated about the existence of Planet 9, an elusive object that could be responsible for the odd clustering of distant objects in the outer solar system. However, the unusual orbit of 2017 OF201 raises doubts about the existence of Planet 9, suggesting that its gravitational effects may not be as pronounced as previously believed. As astronomers continue to study 2017 OF201 and similar objects, they may uncover new insights into the formation and evolution of our solar system. With the vastness of space still largely unexplored, this discovery is just one more reminder of the mysteries that lie beyond our current understanding. The findings are detailed in a paper that has been made available on the arXiv preprint server, offering further insights into this groundbreaking discovery.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Flight Attendants Are Begging Passengers To Please Stop Doing This One Thing On Planes
Airplane safety is paramount to flight attendants. They inform passengers of emergency protocols and flight rules, ensure bags are properly tucked away so no one gets hurt, and help everyone be comfortable during their journey. But while flight attendants work hard 30,000 feet in the air to keep people safe, many passengers do something detrimental to themselves and others: walking barefoot into the plane lavatory. Recently, flight attendants on Reddit lamented about this unbelievably common habit. For your own well-being — and other passengers' — flight attendants would like you to stop doing this, please. 'Passengers use the bathrooms all the time on the airplane with either bare feet or with only socks on,' Elizabeth Regan, a flight attendant at a commercial airline, told HuffPost. This in-flight habit gives flight attendants 'the ick' because of what could be on the restroom floor. Hilary Clark, inflight services director for California-based private jet company Planet 9 and former commercial flight attendant, told HuffPost that seeing people use the restroom barefoot is 'quite concerning.' 'During our training, we learned that the liquid on the lavatory floor is often more than just water,' she said. Not to mention the fact that it's just gross and inconsiderate to other passengers. Regan added, 'It is completely unsanitary.' In general, public restrooms can be hot spots for germs. A 2015 study from TravelMath found that the lavatory flush button on planes had 265 colony-forming units (CFU) per square inch, compared to 172 CFU on home toilet seats. While most of these germs aren't a huge threat to a healthy adult, it's better to reduce your risk of exposure. 'Airplane lavatories are used frequently by many passengers during flights, leading to high-touch surfaces such as door handles, flush buttons, sink faucets, and toilet seats becoming contaminated with various pathogens,' said Dr. Dahlia Philips, an infectious disease physician and medical director for MetroPlusHealth's Partnership in Care Special Needs Plan. 'Walking barefoot exposes your feet to bacteria, viruses and fungi that can enter through cuts or abrasions on your feet.' As a general rule, Clark said going barefoot into the lavatory is 'unhygienic and should always be avoided.' She suggests people bring a pair of slippers or put on disposable slippers instead of walking around barefoot. (You could also just keep your regular shoes on.) Philips agreed, adding that you should wear socks into the lavatory at the very least 'to minimize direct contact with the floor.' Dr. Gonzalo Bearman, chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases at VCU Health, noted that while airplane lavatories 'generally pose no greater threat than the use of public bathrooms, which are also low risk,' there are several precautions you can take to reduce the likelihood of picking up an infection. 'The best approach to cleanliness is proper handwashing and hand hygiene after the use of the airplane bathroom,' he told HuffPost. 'Also, when flushing the toilet, it is best to close the toilet lid prior to flushing the toilet. This minimizes the risk of a toilet plume —the dispersal of microscopic particles as a result of a toilet flush,' he said. These microscopic particles could potentially cause infections like norovirus, so it's best to avoid them if you can. Philips suggested using toilet seat covers or lining the toilet with paper, avoiding touching your face after using the toilet, using hand sanitizer afterward, and avoiding drinking or rinsing your mouth with lavatory water. 'Lastly, to avoid recontamination, consider using paper towels to turn off the faucet and open the door,' she said. You should also practice basic flight courtesy by always cleaning up after using the restroom (and making sure to actually flush the toilet!). 'Leaving a mess is inconsiderate to both the flight attendants and other passengers,' Clark said. Regan suggested using the airport restroom before you board the plane as well. 'The strangest thing I noticed, and is a pet peeve among fellow flight attendants, is that people wait until they get onto the plane to use the restroom,' Regan said. 'It's mind-boggling that you wouldn't use the restroom while you're in the terminal. It's a nice big restroom with plenty of room to move about, and proper water, soap and amenities are at most gates.' Flying should be as enjoyable as possible, but passengers shouldn't forget they are still in a public place. Save the barefoot bathroom habits for home and keep your shoes firmly on while on a plane. This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Flight Attendants Are Begging Passengers To Please Stop Doing This One Thing On Planes
Airplane safety is paramount to flight attendants. They inform passengers of emergency protocols and flight rules, ensure bags are properly tucked away so no one gets hurt, and help everyone be comfortable during their journey. But while flight attendants work hard 30,000 feet in the air to keep people safe, many passengers do something detrimental to themselves and others: walking barefoot into the plane lavatory. Recently, flight attendants on Reddit lamented about this unbelievably common habit. For your own well-being — and other passengers' — flight attendants would like you to stop doing this, please. 'Passengers use the bathrooms all the time on the airplane with either bare feet or with only socks on,' Elizabeth Regan, a flight attendant at a commercial airline, told HuffPost. This in-flight habit gives flight attendants 'the ick' because of what could be on the restroom floor. Hilary Clark, inflight services director for California-based private jet company Planet 9 and former commercial flight attendant, told HuffPost that seeing people use the restroom barefoot is 'quite concerning.' 'During our training, we learned that the liquid on the lavatory floor is often more than just water,' she said. Not to mention the fact that it's just gross and inconsiderate to other passengers. Regan added, 'It is completely unsanitary.' In general, public restrooms can be hot spots for germs. A 2015 study from TravelMath found that the lavatory flush button on planes had 265 colony-forming units (CFU) per square inch, compared to 172 CFU on home toilet seats. While most of these germs aren't a huge threat to a healthy adult, it's better to reduce your risk of exposure. 'Airplane lavatories are used frequently by many passengers during flights, leading to high-touch surfaces such as door handles, flush buttons, sink faucets, and toilet seats becoming contaminated with various pathogens,' said Dr. Dahlia Philips, an infectious disease physician and medical director for MetroPlusHealth's Partnership in Care Special Needs Plan. 'Walking barefoot exposes your feet to bacteria, viruses and fungi that can enter through cuts or abrasions on your feet.' As a general rule, Clark said going barefoot into the lavatory is 'unhygienic and should always be avoided.' She suggests people bring a pair of slippers or put on disposable slippers instead of walking around barefoot. (You could also just keep your regular shoes on.) Philips agreed, adding that you should wear socks into the lavatory at the very least 'to minimize direct contact with the floor.' Dr. Gonzalo Bearman, chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases at VCU Health, noted that while airplane lavatories 'generally pose no greater threat than the use of public bathrooms, which are also low risk,' there are several precautions you can take to reduce the likelihood of picking up an infection. 'The best approach to cleanliness is proper handwashing and hand hygiene after the use of the airplane bathroom,' he told HuffPost. 'Also, when flushing the toilet, it is best to close the toilet lid prior to flushing the toilet. This minimizes the risk of a toilet plume —the dispersal of microscopic particles as a result of a toilet flush,' he said. These microscopic particles could potentially cause infections like norovirus, so it's best to avoid them if you can. Philips suggested using toilet seat covers or lining the toilet with paper, avoiding touching your face after using the toilet, using hand sanitizer afterward, and avoiding drinking or rinsing your mouth with lavatory water. 'Lastly, to avoid recontamination, consider using paper towels to turn off the faucet and open the door,' she said. You should also practice basic flight courtesy by always cleaning up after using the restroom (and making sure to actually flush the toilet!). 'Leaving a mess is inconsiderate to both the flight attendants and other passengers,' Clark said. Regan suggested using the airport restroom before you board the plane as well. 'The strangest thing I noticed, and is a pet peeve among fellow flight attendants, is that people wait until they get onto the plane to use the restroom,' Regan said. 'It's mind-boggling that you wouldn't use the restroom while you're in the terminal. It's a nice big restroom with plenty of room to move about, and proper water, soap and amenities are at most gates.' Flying should be as enjoyable as possible, but passengers shouldn't forget they are still in a public place. Save the barefoot bathroom habits for home and keep your shoes firmly on while on a plane. This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
Buzz Feed
19-05-2025
- Health
- Buzz Feed
Flight Attendants Reveal Biggest Passenger Pet Peeve
Airplane safety is paramount to flight attendants. They inform passengers of emergency protocols and flight rules, ensure bags are properly tucked away so no one gets hurt, and help everyone be comfortable during their journey. But while flight attendants work hard 30,000 feet in the air to keep people safe, many passengers do something detrimental to themselves and others: walking barefoot into the plane lavatory. Recently, flight attendants on Reddit lamented about this unbelievably common habit. For your own well-being — and other passengers' — flight attendants would like you to stop doing this, please. 'Passengers use the bathrooms all the time on the airplane with either bare feet or with only socks on,' Elizabeth Regan, a flight attendant at a commercial airline, told HuffPost. This in-flight habit gives flight attendants 'the ick ' because of what could be on the restroom floor. Hilary Clark, inflight services director for California-based private jet company Planet 9 and former commercial flight attendant, told HuffPost that seeing people use the restroom barefoot is 'quite concerning.' 'During our training, we learned that the liquid on the lavatory floor is often more than just water,' she said. Not to mention the fact that it's just gross and inconsiderate to other passengers. Regan added, 'It is completely unsanitary.' In general, public restrooms can be hot spots for germs. A 2015 study from TravelMath found that the lavatory flush button on planes had 265 colony-forming units (CFU) per square inch, compared to 172 CFU on home toilet seats. While most of these germs aren't a huge threat to a healthy adult, it's better to reduce your risk of exposure. 'Airplane lavatories are used frequently by many passengers during flights, leading to high-touch surfaces such as door handles, flush buttons, sink faucets, and toilet seats becoming contaminated with various pathogens,' said Dr. Dahlia Philips, an infectious disease physician and medical director for MetroPlusHealth's Partnership in Care Special Needs Plan. 'Walking barefoot exposes your feet to bacteria, viruses and fungi that can enter through cuts or abrasions on your feet.' As a general rule, Clark said going barefoot into the lavatory is 'unhygienic and should always be avoided.' She suggests people bring a pair of slippers or put on disposable slippers instead of walking around barefoot. (You could also just keep your regular shoes on.) Philips agreed, adding that you should wear socks into the lavatory at the very least 'to minimize direct contact with the floor.' Dr. Gonzalo Bearman, chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases at VCU Health, noted that while airplane lavatories 'generally pose no greater threat than the use of public bathrooms, which are also low risk,' there are several precautions you can take to reduce the likelihood of picking up an infection. 'The best approach to cleanliness is proper handwashing and hand hygiene after the use of the airplane bathroom,' he told HuffPost. 'Also, when flushing the toilet, it is best to close the toilet lid prior to flushing the toilet. This minimizes the risk of a toilet plume —the dispersal of microscopic particles as a result of a toilet flush,' he said. These microscopic particles could potentially cause infections like norovirus, so it's best to avoid them if you can. Philips suggested using toilet seat covers or lining the toilet with paper, avoiding touching your face after using the toilet, using hand sanitizer afterward, and avoiding drinking or rinsing your mouth with lavatory water. 'Lastly, to avoid recontamination, consider using paper towels to turn off the faucet and open the door,' she said. You should also practice basic flight courtesy by always cleaning up after using the restroom (and making sure to actually flush the toilet!). 'Leaving a mess is inconsiderate to both the flight attendants and other passengers,' Clark said. Regan suggested using the airport restroom before you board the plane as well. 'The strangest thing I noticed, and is a pet peeve among fellow flight attendants, is that people wait until they get onto the plane to use the restroom,' Regan said. 'It's mind-boggling that you wouldn't use the restroom while you're in the terminal. It's a nice big restroom with plenty of room to move about, and proper water, soap and amenities are at most gates.'
Global News
06-05-2025
- Science
- Global News
A 9th planet in our solar system? Jury's out, but a candidate has emerged
For years, astronomers have been searching for a ninth planet in our solar system (after giving Pluto the old heave-ho and demoting it to a dwarf planet) and now researchers say they've found a promising candidate. The long-theorized Planet 9, which astronomers have speculated could be a Neptune-sized planet that has been lurking on the outer edge of the solar system, could explain the unusual clustering and movements of distant objects in the Kuiper Belt beyond Neptune, but tracking such a mass has largely been unfruitful. Now, a newly identified object spotted in two infrared sky surveys has renewed the question of whether the elusive and hypothetical Planet 9 actually exists. According to a new pre-print study, shared in late April and approved for publication in the journal Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia — but has not yet been peer-reviewed — researchers found a curious dot on infrared images taken 23 years apart that seems to be moving in a manner consistent with a large, distant planet. Story continues below advertisement 'I felt very excited,' study lead author Terry Phan, an astronomy doctoral student at the National Tsing Hua University in Taiwan, told Science about his team's discovery. 'It's motivated us a lot.' As with all Planet 9 research, the findings have been met with skepticism — even the study's researchers acknowledge that the surveys have not provided enough data to determine the full orbit of a planetary candidate and that more observations will be needed. 1:54 Astronomers talk about evidence of 9th planet in our solar system Astronomer Mike Brown, who was first to propose the Planet 9 hypothesis in 2016 alongside colleague Konstantin Batygin, told Science that it's going to take more evidence that the infrared dots observed in the latest study correspond to a ninth planet. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy He told the publication that, by his own calculations, the candidate signal's orbit would be tilted roughly 120 degrees from the plane of the solar system, meaning it would actually orbit the Sun in the opposite direction than the other eight planets. According to his models, to explain the clustering and movement of other objects in the Kuiper belt, Planet 9 would need an orbit tilted roughly 15 to 10 degrees from the plane of the solar system. Story continues below advertisement This mismatch 'doesn't mean it's not there, but it means it's not Planet 9,' Brown said. 'I don't think this planet would have any of the effects on the solar system that we think we're seeing.' Brown's discovery of Eris, an icy world in the Kuiper Belt beyond Pluto, led to the reclassification of Pluto as a dwarf planet. He has been dubbed the 'Pluto Killer.' In 2016, he expressed his excitement about a possible replacement planet for the one he killed off. 'All those people who are mad that Pluto is no longer a planet can be thrilled to know that there is a real planet out there still to be found,' Brown said at the time. 'Now we can go and find this planet and make the solar system have nine planets once again.' In a NASA post, titled 'Is Planet X real?', the space agency lays out the research done by Brown and Batygin, summarizing how Planet 9 would behave and appear, if proven real. 'This hypothetical Neptune-sized planet would circle our Sun on a highly elongated path, far beyond Pluto. It could have a mass about 5 to 10 times that of Earth and orbit about 20 to 30 times farther from the Sun on average than Neptune. It would take between 10,000 and 20,000 Earth years to make one full orbit around the Sun,' the agency writes, adding that there are several lines of observational evidence pointing to the existence of a ninth planet. Story continues below advertisement While Planet 9's existence remains fully up in the air, more evidence could become available within a year or two, when a Chilean observatory that's currently under construction opens, giving a better glimpse into what lies at the edge of our solar system. The Vera C. Rubin Observatory will use the world's largest digital camera to peer deeper into space than any predecessor. Earlier this year, Brown told NPR that there's no better telescope to help prove, or disprove, the existence of Planet 9. 'If you were to hand me a big wad of cash and say, 'Go build a telescope to go either find this Planet 9 or find the best evidence possible for Planet 9,' I would probably go and build the Vera Rubin Observatory,' Brown said. 'It really is a telescope that is perfectly suited for making the next step.' Story continues below advertisement Even if they aren't able to actually observe a new planet, he added, the Rubin observatory should give astronomers enough new data to prove whether his hypothesis and observed patterns of objects in the Kuiper belt hold up. 'I think that what Vera Rubin will definitively do,' says Brown, 'is tell us whether we're crazy or not.'
