Do we know for a fact that there isn't any planet on the dark side of the sun?

Question

Becuase we can't see behind the sun, I was wondering if it was at all possible that there was anything there or if we could prove by looking with a space telescope or something or by calculation that there definately isn't.

Answer 1

First off, the only possible way that this could work -- an "anti-Earth" orbiting exactly 180° away from us in our orbit -- would be if the Earth's orbit was circular.  It's not.  Our orbit is elliptical.  So it is not possible for a matching planet to be exactly on the opposite side of the sun all the time.

Second, any earth-like object on the far side of our orbit would show gravitiational influences on the other planets.  We see none.

Third, we have sent probes out of the plane of Earth's orbit which could see the far side of the sun.  Nothing is there.

End of story.  No "anti-Earth".

Answer 2

First, there is no "dark" side of the sun.

Second, any planet on the far side of the sun would have to be in an orbit exactly like Earth (distance, speed, etc.) to remain out of our sight - that orbit wouldn't remain stable for very long.  None of the planets have orbits that are perfectly stable.

Answer 3

You really need to look this up in a book. there is no dark side of the sun because all our planets revolve AROUND it. I'm sure they must have taught you this in primary/elementary school? At any one time different planets may be in different stages in their orbit around it, the planets are never lined up neatly in a row on one side of it like they show in the diagrams that's just for convenience, seriously look this up, don't be lazy now . . .  

Answer 4

  Well, check with Zecharia Sitchin regarding his book, "The Twelfth Planet."  If you were to believe his interpretations of Sumerian cylinder seals and if that planet, say, Marduk, were in a 3,600-year orbit....

    Okay, even if it's just for a good read, do look up his book.  It delves into many areas, such as the solar system and its asteroid belt plus the orbits of planets (including what we now call Pluto).  It also discusses early genetic engineering, the origins of man, gold in what we call Africa, a great flood, and much, much more.    Oh, yes, there is a good deal of Biblical reference, too.

        Is it a perfect source?  Is it correct?  No to the first and not entirely to the second.  But it is a good book to read, and it will perhaps bless you with even more questions.

         Yes, I know, it has been met with skepticism and has been largely discredited as to its scientific validity, but those facts do not necessarily make it wrong.  Make up your own mind after reading the book.  

Answer 5

Well, the far side of the sun, (I hope I'm never alive when it develops a dark side) could have a planet, perpetually revolving around it at a speed close enough to ours that it is always "behind" it.  

It would need to have a very specific mass and velocity ratio to be permenanetly hidden from our view.

This is illogical.  It's gravitational effects on Mercury and Venus would have been detected and calculated by now.

Answer 6

The sun doesn't have a dark side!

And yes - we are sure - we orbit the sun.

The only way a planet could be always behind the sun would be if it was in an identical orbit to ours but offset by 180 degrees.

Planets at other distances orbit at different rates so we see them most of the time, and some of the time they are hidden

Answer 7

There's a point on the other side of the sun from the Earth called the Lagrange 3 point.  It's the point in space where an object could exist and experience gravitation from the Earth and the Sun such that it would always travel around the sun in conjunction with the Earth and never be seen from Earth.

There are a number of fiction stories about it, where it's sometimes called Planet X, the Anti-Earth, etc.  

In reality though, there's nothing there.  We've launched enough space vehicles to look at that point now, although until the late part of the last century it was impossible to observe that point by any telescopic or mathematical means.

But even if we still couldn't launch a vehicle to observe that point directly, from what we now know about physics it would be virtually impossible for something to remain at that point in the long term.  The L3 point is only stable when you consider the Earth and Sun alone.  When you add in the gravitation created by the other planets, the L3 point becomes impractically unstable.  

So no, there's nothing hiding on the other side of the sun.

Good question though!

Answer 8

The precision would be immense because if it were closer to the sun than we were at would have to travel at a precisely slower speed (than earth) as to stay hidden and if it were further it would have to travel at a precisely higher speed (than earth). Improbable but not impossible.

Answer 9

What do you mean we can't see behind the sun? We travel around it and during the course of a year will see all 'sides' of it. If there was another large object in the solar system that we could not see, we would be able to detect it by the effects of its gravity.

Answer 10

Your terms or word choice startled me somewhat...

The dark side of the Sun...

There is no dark side to the Sun. It radiates equally well in all

directions. We just cannot fly over to the other side of it on a

short Space Flight. However, the Sun itself does rotate (spin)

just like the Earth does, but not quite as rapidly.

Since we orbit all the way around the Sun once every year, we

have ample opportunity to observe the Sun from all directions

during our orbits, and I can assure you that if something was

there, we would certainly have seen it by now.

It is often easy to get sucked into a science fiction hypothesis

when you read a SciFi Novel, or watch a SciFi Movie. Just keep

your wits about you and study the situation a bit more closely...

You will arrive at the correct solution in only a few moments...no

hidden planet exists.  

Answer 11

yes we do. We would have been detecting the gravitational field of and body large enough to be termed a planet.

Now that you mention it though, a rather large body could still be hiding there with a mass too small to have a noticeable effect on other planets. We do send out probes that could see this object, but may not be looking or lack the ability to look. So, however unlikely, its possible a moderately large asteroid or something could be lurking there. It would of course need to been in an identical orbit as Earth.

This is highly unlikely.  

Answer 12

ultimately we must apply the burden of proof to such a claim, if you think there is a planet on the opposite side of our orbit evidence should be presented to prove your claim. so far there is no evidence to suggest such a thing exists.

and i think its obvious she didn't literally mean "dark side of the sun" nobody is that stupid.

Answer 13

Hello,

(ANS) Correction!! there is "No! such thing as the dark side" of the sun.

**If you think about it, our sun the brightest object in our entire solar system. It radiates light & heat so strong that it can fry an egg on a rock in some places on earth and that's from millions of miles away from us.

**The sun is nothing more than a massive nuclear furnace that sends out streams of energy into space, & light. Without the sun we wouldn't exist, without the suns energy & light no life would have come into existence, i.e. no Darwinian evolution. No! Dinosaur's, No! humans,etc

Our sun is a normal star and is about half way through its life cycle, it has about another 200 Billions years left before it becomes a Red Giant and finally dies in a super nova explosion that will rip the fabric of space & time apart.

Ivan.

Answer 14

We do not have any conclusive evidence to either. I suppose just invent a really super awesome telescope!

Answer 15

We actually have seen the far side of the Sun.  Many of our probes have done this.  In fact, the rovers on Mars have imaged the Earth and the Moon, and could see any "counter Earth" if there was one there.  Mars happens to be farther than the Sun from us right now.

But if such a planet existed, that orbit would not be stable over the life time of the Earth.  Any little nudge by Jupiter or the other planets would put it closer to the Earth on one side or the other.  Then it would be doomed.

Answer 16

wait wait...

theres a dark side to the sun...?

Answer 17

Firstly there is no, 'Dark side of the sun.' There is not any other planets on the opposite side of the sun, since there is no opposite side as we travel 360 degrees around the sun.

Answer 18

Moon isnt the sun so there is no dark side of the moon*sun*

If your talking about the anti earth,.. that is the same as the earth but on the opposite side.... then no there isnt anything there...

Space is 3D so if you sent a probe into sppce i guess upwards you would see the oposite side form an angle and there hasnt been anything there ....

also the L3 point is unstable so if there was an anit earth it would go to one of the other L pooiunts th=at are stable and we could see it.

Answer 19

Dark side of the Sun?  Hello, anyone home?

Answer 20

Since the Earth rotates around the Sun I'm pretty sure that you have the wrong impression of our solar system.  Please refer to a science book and read about the solar system some more.

Answer 21

I was sitting here reading the answers and thought. . . hey, this is a good question by someone who may not be familiar with astronomy!

The "dark side of the sun" is certainly just an expression.  Lighten up on this person!

Some of the only ways that we learn things is by asking questions.  The question may seem to be rather naive, but my goodness....who hasn't asked a question like this in their lifetime?

Have a great day!

Answer 22

We know for a fact. Because that location is the unstable third Lagrange point. Any planet there woud quickly (in astronomical terms, maybe thousands of years or more) move to one of the two stable Lagrange points 60 degrees around the Sun from Earth, where it would remain in plain sight forever.