Tyche (hypothetical planet)

High school (ages 12+)
Space & Astronomy

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Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/tyche-hypothetical-planet

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. How big is Tyche (hypothetical planet)?A gas giant planet, potentially several times the mass of Jupiter
2. What is the theoretical basis?A proposed gravitational influence on the distribution of long-period comets
3. What is the primary detection method proposed?Infrared observation by NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) telescope
4. What was Tyche supposed to be?Tyche was imagined as a giant planet in the far‑away Oort Cloud, maybe several times the mass of Jupiter, that could pull comets toward the Sun.
5. Why did scientists think Tyche might exist?Scientists noticed that long‑period comets seemed to come from particular directions, suggesting a hidden planet might be tugging them.

Oort Cloud: A vast, spherical shell of icy bodies theorized to surround the solar system at extreme distances, serving as the source of long-period comets.
Long-period comets: Comets with orbital periods exceeding 200 years, originating from the Oort Cloud and exhibiting diverse orbital inclinations.
Infrared astronomy: The study of celestial objects by observing the infrared radiation they emit, which is useful for detecting cold or distant objects.
Gravitational perturbation: A change in the orbit of a celestial body caused by the gravitational pull of another celestial body.