Planet V is a hypothetical fifth planet posited by NASA scientists John Chambers and Jack Lissauer to have once existed between Mars and the asteroid belt, based on computer simulations. Chambers and Lissauer presented this idea during the 33rd Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, held from March 11 through 15, 2002.
Chambers and Lissauer proposed that a previously unknown terrestrial planet once existed in an eccentric and unstable orbit around the Sun, at least 4 Ga (four billion years) ago. They connect this planet, which they name Planet V, and its disappearance with the Late Heavy Bombardment episode of the Hadean era.
"The extra planet formed on a low-eccentricity orbit that was long-lived, but unstable", Chambers reported. About 3.9 billion years ago, Planet V was perturbed by gravitational interactions with the other inner planets. It was tossed onto a highly eccentric orbit that crossed the inner asteroid belt, a reservoir of material much larger than it is today. It spun through the inner belt of asteroids, causing them to fly into Mars-crossing orbits. This temporarily enhanced the population of bodies on Earth-crossing orbits, and also increased the lunar impact rate.
According to Chambers, Planet V is thought to have perished when it plunged into the Sun.
Famous quotes containing the word planet:
“What I like, or one of the things I like, about motoring is the sense it gives one of lighting accidentally, like a voyager who touches another planet with the tip of his toe, upon scenes which would have gone on, have always gone on, will go on, unrecorded, save for this chance glimpse. Then it seems to me I am allowed to see the heart of the world uncovered for a moment.”
—Virginia Woolf (1882–1941)