Researchers suggest at least two Earth-sized planets exist beyond Pluto

There may be at least two undiscovered, Earth-sized planets lurking within our solar system, researchers say in two new papers published in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society Letters.

Scientists analyzing a set of "extreme trans-Neptunian objects" found that the elliptical paths of the 13 bodies they analyzed had "unexpected orbital parameters." The team suggests that the discrepancies are the result of "other unknown planets…altering the distribution of the orbital elements." Such unknown planets — dubbed "Planet X" and now "Planet Y" — would most likely exist beyond Neptune and Pluto, Space.com reports.

The latest research follows similar work published in March 2014. Scientists Chadwick Trujillo and Scott Sheppard noted, however, that there could be alternative explanations for the unexpected ETNOs. Lead author of the recent study Carlos de la Fuente Marcos, of the Complutense University of Madrid, agreed that alternate theories must be considered, but that "if (our study) is confirmed, our results may be truly revolutionary for astronomy."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up