Something odd has been spotted in the direction of Alpha Centauri. Discoverer feels object is part of our solar system, and the farther out it is, the bigger it would be. Size estimates range from maybe smaller than Pluto, to earth size or possibly bigger. Due to it's size and temp, the discovery team doesn't think it's part of the Alpha Centauri system (if it is, it would probably be referred to as Alpha Centauri D, the fourth item discovered there)
The discovery announcement:
Astronomy
&
Astrophysics
manuscript no. aCenD_ALMA_Letter
c
ESO 2015
December 10, 2015
L
etter to the
E
ditor
A new submm source within a few arcseconds of
Centauri
ALMA discovers the most distant object of the solar system
R. Liseau
1
, W. Vlemmings
1
, E. O’Gorman
1
, E. Bertone
2
, M. Chavez
2
, and V. De la Luz
3
1
Department of Earth and Space Sciences, Chalmers University of Technology, Onsala Space Observatory, SE-439 92 Onsala,
Sweden, e-mail:
[email=[email protected]][email protected][/email]
2
Instituto Nacional de Astrofísica, Óptica y Electrónica (INAOE), Luis Enrique Erro 1, Sta. María Tonantzintla, Puebla, Mexico,
3
CONACYT Research Fellow, SCiESMEX, Instituto de Geofisica, Unidad Michoacan, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico,
Morelia, Michoacan, Mexico. CP 58190
Received ; accepted
ABSTRACT
Context.
The understanding of the formation of stellar and planetary systems requires the understanding of the structure and dynamics
of their outmost regions, where large bodies are not expected to form.
Aims.
Serendipitous searches for Sedna-like objects allows the observation of regions that are normally not surveyed.
Methods.
The Atacama Large Millimeter
/
submillimeter Array (ALMA) is particularly sensitive to point sources and it presents
currently the only means to detect Sedna-like objects far beyond their perihelia.
Results.
ALMA observations 10 months apart revealed a new blackbody point source that is apparently comoving with
Cen AB.
Conclusions.
We exclude that source to be a sub-
/
stellar member of the
Cen system, but argue that it is either an extreme TNO, a
Super-Earth or a very cool brown dwarf in the outer realm of the solar system.
There has been time for some comments from the rest of the astronomy community to be posted, most of the concern is the equipment used to discover the object has a very tiny aperture, it doesn't see a very large patch of sky at a given time. For there to be this potentially large and very unexpected object in the outskirts of our solar system, the implication is, there must be quite a few similar objects out there for this one to have turned up.
I'm inclined to agree. And if this object isn't part of our suns family, then it most likely is a member of the Alpha Centauri system, and it might be a 'new' kind of object. It would be large, but it's quite cold. It doesn't neatly fit into most any plausible category of object that might exist there.
Regardless of what/where it is, its an amazing and significant find.
The discovery announcement:
Astronomy
&
Astrophysics
manuscript no. aCenD_ALMA_Letter
c
ESO 2015
December 10, 2015
L
etter to the
E
ditor
A new submm source within a few arcseconds of
Centauri
ALMA discovers the most distant object of the solar system
R. Liseau
1
, W. Vlemmings
1
, E. O’Gorman
1
, E. Bertone
2
, M. Chavez
2
, and V. De la Luz
3
1
Department of Earth and Space Sciences, Chalmers University of Technology, Onsala Space Observatory, SE-439 92 Onsala,
Sweden, e-mail:
[email=[email protected]][email protected][/email]
2
Instituto Nacional de Astrofísica, Óptica y Electrónica (INAOE), Luis Enrique Erro 1, Sta. María Tonantzintla, Puebla, Mexico,
3
CONACYT Research Fellow, SCiESMEX, Instituto de Geofisica, Unidad Michoacan, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico,
Morelia, Michoacan, Mexico. CP 58190
Received ; accepted
ABSTRACT
Context.
The understanding of the formation of stellar and planetary systems requires the understanding of the structure and dynamics
of their outmost regions, where large bodies are not expected to form.
Aims.
Serendipitous searches for Sedna-like objects allows the observation of regions that are normally not surveyed.
Methods.
The Atacama Large Millimeter
/
submillimeter Array (ALMA) is particularly sensitive to point sources and it presents
currently the only means to detect Sedna-like objects far beyond their perihelia.
Results.
ALMA observations 10 months apart revealed a new blackbody point source that is apparently comoving with
Cen AB.
Conclusions.
We exclude that source to be a sub-
/
stellar member of the
Cen system, but argue that it is either an extreme TNO, a
Super-Earth or a very cool brown dwarf in the outer realm of the solar system.
There has been time for some comments from the rest of the astronomy community to be posted, most of the concern is the equipment used to discover the object has a very tiny aperture, it doesn't see a very large patch of sky at a given time. For there to be this potentially large and very unexpected object in the outskirts of our solar system, the implication is, there must be quite a few similar objects out there for this one to have turned up.
I'm inclined to agree. And if this object isn't part of our suns family, then it most likely is a member of the Alpha Centauri system, and it might be a 'new' kind of object. It would be large, but it's quite cold. It doesn't neatly fit into most any plausible category of object that might exist there.
Regardless of what/where it is, its an amazing and significant find.
The granting of a pardon is an imputation of guilt, and the acceptance a confession of it.
![[Image: Death-Star-I-copy_36ad2500.jpeg?region=0...&width=768]](https://images.weserv.nl/?url=img.lum.dolimg.com%2Fv1%2Fimages%2FDeath-Star-I-copy_36ad2500.jpeg%3Fregion%3D0%252C0%252C1600%252C900%26amp%3Bwidth%3D768)
![[Image: 285px-Mimas_Cassini.jpg]](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bc/Mimas_Cassini.jpg/285px-Mimas_Cassini.jpg)
