Around our solar system, scientists have discovered an enigmatic “ghostly glow” comparable to ten fireflies that endures even after other light sources like stars and planets are removed.

Astronomers discovered the finding while trying to determine precisely how black space can be. To do this, they combed through 200,000 pH๏τographs taken by NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope and eliminated the expected glow. However, a very little surplus of light was still there.

The source of the light is unknown, but scientists believe it to be a previously undiscovered sphere comprised of comet dust that is reflecting sunlight.

If verified, this dust shell would contribute something new to the solar system’s known design, according to experts.

This finding expands on work done in 2021 by another team of scientists who measured the sky backdrop using information from NASA’s interplanetary space mission New Horizon.

While more than four billion kilometers from the sun, New Horizon also saw a light in the solar system. The reason for this glow is still unknown.

There are several possibilities, ranging from dark matter disintegration to a mᴀssive undetected population of far-off galaxies.

Tim Carleton of Arizona State University (ASU) said in a statement: ‘If our analysis is correct, there’s another dust component between us and the distance where New Horizons made measurements.

Reference(s):

NASA