This object is hypothetical.
This object is hypothetical, and was proposed. Note that such object has not been discovered.
This object does not exist.
This object has been proven to not exist by further study. Please take it lightly and with a grain of salt.
Vulcan is a small hypothetical planet that was proposed to exist in an orbit between Mercury and the Sun. Attempting to explain peculiarities of Mercury's orbit, the 19th-century French mathematician Urbain Le Verrier hypothesized that they were the result of another planet, which he named "Vulcan". Later the theoretical object got attention to explain why is there no mass between the orbit of Mercury and the Sun, but it was not found. The “anomalies” of Mercury were later explained by Einstein’s theory of relativity about a century later.
Small proposed objects that orbit within the orbit of Mercury, are known as Vulcanoids, which may actually exist.
Gallery[]
Spacipedia image of Vulcan.
Hypothetical image of a Vulcanoid, a hypothetical type of asteroid that orbits inside of the orbit of Mercury.
| Hypothetical Bodies and other Hypothetical Objects | ||
|---|---|---|
| Hypothetical Planets | Inner Solar System | Enyo and Bellona • Vulcan • Antichthon • Nibiru • Theia • Phaeton • Planet V • Krypton |
| Outer Solar System | Fifth Giant • Unnamed ancient Super-earth • Triton’s Binary Partner • Planet 9 • Planet 10 • Tyche • Nemesis | |
| Hypothetical Moons | Inner Solar System | Disproven Moons of Mercury • Neith • Petit's moon • Waltemath's moons • Bagby's Moons • Moons of Pallas • Moon of Hebe |
| Outer Solar System | Chiron (hypothetical moon) • Chrysalis • Themis • Sedna I • Varuna I • Herschel's Moons | |
| Other Hypothetical Objects | Hypothetical Regions | Vulcanoid Belt • Hills Cloud • Oort Cloud |
| Hypotheses for Explanation of Occurrences | Hypotheses | Himalia Crash Theory • Iapetus' Ring System • The Nice Model & The Five-planet Nice Model |