maybe there's another planet between mercury and the sun and Galileo (or NASA) couldn't study it coz of extreme temperatures and decided to keep it a secret. think about this. it could be true.
2006-09-20 14:50:27 · 16 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
Skillet Rocks! has half the answer. The other half is that there is an absolute minimum distance that a planet must maintain from the Sun., called the Roche Limit. No planet can form or continue to exist within that limit, due to gravitational forces.
2006-09-20 15:38:22 · answer #1 · answered by Jay S 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You are right, we don't really know, except that none has been discoverd. Given the new definition of planet, even if a new object was discovered orbiting the sun between earth and sun, it would be too small to be called a planet. It is not necessary to actually observe a planet itself to find it; its orbit will have perturbing effects on nearby planets. None has been observed. For some time, astronomers thought there was an undiscovered planet between the sun and mercury, because there was an unexplained disturbance in mercury's orbit (precession of the perihelion). Not until Einstein's General Theory of Relativity explained that did astronomers stop looking for that new planet.
2006-09-20 22:02:54 · answer #2 · answered by gp4rts 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Many smart astronomer have work this one out over the last couple hundreds of years. You see, the heavens respond to the laws of mathematics. The distance between one planet and the other is a mathematical relation that can't be altered or ignore. For a planet to exist between earth, Venus and Mercury would mean a disruption of the orbits of the other planets.
There are many science programs, magazines and books that tell the story of how these great mathematicians and astronomers figure all this out.
2006-09-20 22:03:09 · answer #3 · answered by autoglide 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Others here have answered your question quite well. There are many reasons we (namely the human race) would know there was a planet inside the orbit of Mercury. That is relatively close compared to the outer regions of the solar system beyond Neptune, where we have found hundreds of objects much smaller than Mercury, or even our own moon.
But my biggest concern is the idea that scientists might know about a planet but "decided to keep it a secret." Why?? Please please stop thinking like that! Scientists HATE secrecy. It goes against everything they do. Everytime they find a little rock or chunk of ice in the solar system, they shout about it ... and they don't give a whip if any space probe can study it.
It's that image of scientists and engineers as a sneaky little secret society that makes you vulnerable to believing all sorts of ridiculous conspiracy theories. Scientists make mistakes but they *rarely* lie ... hardly ever as individuals (as lies are easily detected by other scientists), and there has *never*, *ever* in the history of science, been a case where they would lie as a community.
Please don't be so cynical. Scientists (and NASA) are generally pretty good people. I know a lot of them.
2006-09-21 03:24:26 · answer #4 · answered by secretsauce 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Bit of a daft question. Are you under the impression the planets are stationary? The planet would have to be behind Mercury all the time from our perspective, which is impossible, since the size of planetary orbits dictates the speed of the planet in its orbit.
You need to do some reading my friend, before you come out with some daft proposals.
2006-09-20 22:33:12 · answer #5 · answered by nick s 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The answer is gravity. We would notice a wobble in Mercuries orbit that would be consistent with another planet. Simply put there is no wobble that would indicate another planet. Basically the chances of there being a planet is slim to non.
2006-09-20 22:07:16 · answer #6 · answered by Kutlessfan 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
through telescopes, you can take pictures of the sun mercury the venus then earth with no planets in between
2006-09-20 21:56:32 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
if there is one it would now be classified as a dwarf planet. Although I highly doubt there is another planet because the ESA satellite SOHO would have detected it since it is directed right at the sun
2006-09-20 22:01:39 · answer #8 · answered by eric g 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
We know...either deal with it or go figure it out for yourself. Lots of fruitcakes think all kinds of things "could be true." Most of the time that statement is based on pure ignorance.
I mean, hey, humans might be evolved from the mole people who live inside the hollow Earth. Come on, IT COULD BE TRUE!!!!!
2006-09-21 02:17:39 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Ok, I'll think about it. I have seen images of sunspots and stuff, so it seems like they have gotten pretty close to the sun with those space telecopes and stuff. Still, I guess it could all be a hoax like the moon landing movie.
2006-09-20 21:56:57 · answer #10 · answered by beautypsychic 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋