Cratered Limb in Sunlight
18”x20” oil on canvas
sold
Scientists announced in 2018 the discovery of another dwarf planet in our solar system. Nicknamed "the Goblin", this dwarf planet is much smaller than Pluto and keeps to the outer reaches of our solar system, possibly where thousands of other similar objects orbit undetected. What makes this discovery extra exciting is that the Goblin's unusual orbit is thought to be caused by a 9th large planet in our solar system, lurking in the darkness beyond Neptune. This 9th planet (Planet X) has been hypothesized for years, and the discovery of the Goblin provides more evidence for its existence.
The rocky planet in my painting could not be the Goblin nor Planet X because they get much less sunlight than is shown on the cratered surface in my painting. But it is interesting to think about what these unseen planetary bodies might look like, what events in their formation and history have formed their surfaces, what stories they could tell about these distant parts of our solar system.