Planet Nine: The solar system's ninth planet could be one step closer to discovery - TomoNews
- published: 09 Apr 2016
- views: 6727
PASADENA, CALIFORNIA — Although no one\'s actually seen the planet that supposedly lurks in the outer solar system, planetary scientists at the California Institute of Technology presented evidence for Planet Nine\'s existence in January. As a spacecraft orbiting Saturn recently returned with even more observations that support Planet Nine\'s existence, evidence seems to be mounting that a mystery planet truly does dwell out there. Scientists first predicted the possibility of Planet Nine after noticing dwarf planets in our solar system\'s Kuiper Belt had orbits that clustered toward the same direction, reported the Scientific American. This strange alignment is best explained by a sizable object, whose gravity tugs the dwarf planets into place. To achieve the observed gravitational effect, Planet Nine\'s diameter is probably around four times the size of Earth\'s, and its mass likely up to 10 times the Earth\'s mass, reported Space.com. Its orbit is larger than the orbits of other celestial bodies that we\'re more familiar with, completing a full orbit around the Sun every 20,000 years. Scientists speculate that the planet is probably an ice giant similar in composition to Neptune and Uranus. Planet Nine appears to be nearer than scientists originally thought. It could come to as close as 200 times the distance between Earth and the Sun, or 200 astronomical units. However, the distance could also reach upwards of 600 astronomical units. If the planet does prove to really exist, then we could reach it in as few as 20 years. Until then, the hunt continues for the evasive icy p...
