There are quirks at the far edge of our solar system, in the form of disturbed objects in the Kuiper belt. One explanation: Planet Nine.
. The pair hasn’t seen this world directly, but their computer models show that such a planet could explain the wonky observed orbits of other Kuiper belt objects.
The disturbance in this belt “predicts the existence” of an undiscovered planet with 1.5 to 3 times the mass of Earth, says lead author Lykawka, an astronomer at Japan’s Kindai University. “The solar system would officially have nine planets again.”The Kuiper belt is somewhat similar to the asteroid belt: It contains small bits of rock and ice, all leftovers from the violent process of making planets.
“It may be that this planet will be uncovered even in the next few years, if it exists on a relatively nearby orbit,” says Yale astronomerLykawka and Ito’s simulations show that a planet could explain the oddities in the Kuiper belt. The world, which they referred to as the Kuiper Belt Planet , would be located about 6 to 12 times further from the sun than even distant Neptune.
Lykawka claims that the KBP hypothesis is superior to Planet 9 because it relies on other observations that haven’t caused as much dispute. “We demonstrated that a hypothetical Earth-like planet located in the far outer solar system could explain several properties of the distant Kuiper Belt and be compatible with observations simultaneously,” he says. “The Planet 9 model has yet to demonstrate that.
But we won’t know for sure if there’s a hidden planet, whether it looks like Planet 9 or the KBP, until astronomers actually pinpoint it in the night sky. Astronomers have been looking for Planet 9 for years, and that hunt includes some regions where the newly-proposed planet could be. “Those searches are still ongoing,” Rice says. “It’s incredible just how much parameter space remains to be searched in the outer solar system where hidden planets could be lurking.
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