Could there be an unseen planet on the other side of the Sun?

- BBC Science Focus Magazine 31/8/2023, 1:08 pm

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Could there be an unseen planet on

the other side of the Sun?
Say what you'll say about the farmers and the fun and the
things behind the sun.

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By Kenny Lomas

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Could there be an unseen planet on the other side of the Sun? - BBC Science Focus Magazine 31/8/2023, 1:08 pm

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The idea that there might be another planet in our Solar System on an orbit that SUBSCRIBE NOW
keeps it permanently behind the Sun dates back at least 2400 years to the Greek
philosopher Philolaus. He postulated the existence of a ‘counter-Earth’ called
Antichthon. It’s also caught the imagination of science !ction writers, including
Gerry Anderson of Thunderbirds fame, who made a !lm based on the idea
(https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0064519/?ref_=nm_knf_t4) in the late 1960s.
Melancholia (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1527186/) and Another Earth
(https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1549572/), both from 2011, also explore these
themes.

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Sadly, the science doesn’t stack up: the gravitational action of the other planets
in the Solar System would distort Antichthon’s orbit until it came out of perfect sponsored by: Boxer
alignment with the Earth. Astronomers also have very precise data on the
position of the planets and space-probes, and they show no evidence of missing
planets. LEARN MORE >

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Could there be an unseen planet on the other side of the Sun? - BBC Science Focus Magazine 31/8/2023, 1:08 pm

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Could there be an unseen planet on the other side of the Sun? - BBC Science Focus Magazine 31/8/2023, 1:08 pm

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