A grapefruit-sized black hole lurking at the edges of our solar system ‘could be Planet X’ – Technology News, Firstpost

FP TrendsJuly 15, 2020 09:23:40 IST

Scientists are now trying to figure out if a grapefruit-sized black hole really lurks on the fringes of our outer solar system.

In recent years, researchers have noticed a strange grouping of multiple transneptunian objects (TNOs), found in the distant outer solar system.

According to a report by Space.com, some scientists believe that TNO pathways have been sculpted by the gravitational pull of a large object that is five to 10 times larger than Earth.

While the object could be Planet Nine or Planet X, there are theories that it could, in fact, be a black hole that accumulates throughout its mass in a sphere that is roughly the size of a grapefruit.

The artistic conception of accretion eruptions resulting from the encounter of an Oort cloud comet and a hypothetical black hole in the outer solar system.
Image credit: M. Weiss / harvard

The study was conducted by Dr. Avi Loeb, a science professor at Harvard, and Amir Siraj, a Harvard university student. The article has been published by The letters of the astrophysical journal.

According to a report in Universe today, the study authors have suggested that a primordial black hole could be lurking in the region. Unlike stellar black holes and supermassive black holes, primordial black holes are much smaller and form after the Big Bang due to density fluctuations.

“In the vicinity of a black hole, small bodies approaching it will melt as a result of heating from the accumulation of background gas from the interstellar medium to the black hole,” said Siraj he said in a statement. “Once they melt, small bodies are subject to tidal disruption by the black hole, followed by tidal-disrupted body buildup in the black hole.” Loeb added: “Because black holes are inherently dark, the radiation emitted by matter on its way to the mouth of the black hole is our only way to illuminate this dark environment.”

Loeb added: “Because black holes are inherently dark, the radiation emitted by matter on its way to the mouth of the black hole is our only way to illuminate this dark environment.”

They have found a new way to search for black holes in the outer solar system: by studying the eruptions that result from comets that are captured by the black hole.

According to the researchers, data from the upcoming Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) telescope should be able to confirm or rule out the Planet nine hypothesis is a black hole within one year of the start of the survey. The LSST is expected to have the sensitivity necessary to detect accretion outbreaks, while current technology cannot do so without guidance.

“LSST has a wide field of view, covering the entire sky over and over again and looking for transient flares,” Loeb said.

Siraj added: “Other telescopes are good for aiming at a known target, but we don’t know exactly where to search for Planet Nine. We only know the wide region in which it can reside. LSST’s ability to survey the sky twice a week is extremely valuable In addition, its unprecedented depth will allow the detection of flares resulting from relatively small impactors, which are more frequent than large ones. “