Astronomers baffled by discovery of mystery object 200km in diameter orbiting backwards beyond Neptune
The object was spotted in the outer solar system past Neptune by the Pan-STARRS telescope
ASTRONOMERS are baffled by the discovery of a mystery object 200km in diameter orbiting around the sun backwards.
The object was spotted in the outer solar system past Neptune by the Pan-STARRS telescope and is moving in the opposite direction to the rest of the planets.
The object has been dubbed Niku - the Chinese adjective for rebellious.
Queens University astronomer Michele Bannister said planetary systems are controlled by the flat plane of dust and gas surrounding them.
This forces everything to spin in the same direction.
She said: "It's wonderful that it's so confusing.
"I'm looking forward to seeing what the theoretical analysis do once they get their hands on this one."
Senior astrophysicist at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center Matthew Holman said a force must have acted upon it.
He said: "It suggests that there's more going on in the outer solar system than we're fully aware of."
Mr Holman initially believed Planet Nine - a hypothetical large planet in the far outher Solar System - could have influenced Niku's orbit.
However, the object was too close to our solar system for Planet Nine to have any influence.
Mr Holman admitted: "We don't know the answer."