Astronomers Find Evidence Of Ninth Planet At Edge Of Solar System

Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

Scientists in California say they’ve found evidence a ninth planet lies on the fringe of our solar system, a giant icy body they dubbed “Planet Nine.”

In a paper published by Astronomical Journal, California Institute of Technology astronomers Konstantin Batygin and Michael Brown said while they have not yet directly observed the planet, it is five to 10 times larger than Earth, which would make it the fifth-largest planet in the solar system, according to the Washington Post.

The astronomers inferred the planet’s existence from the motion of nearby dwarf planets and other small objects, whose orbits appear to have been shaped by the gravity of a much larger, unseen planet. While their findings are based on modeling, they told the Associated Press they expect to glimpse Planet Nine with a telescope in the next five years.

Until then, telescopes on at least two continents are searching for Planet Nine, which the astronomers said is 20 times farther away than Neptune, the eighth planet from the sun.

Brown, who tweets under the handle @PlutoKiller as a nod to his role in the research that led to Pluto’s demotion from planet to dwarf planet in 2006, said they originally set out to prove Planet Nine didn’t exist.

“My daughter, she’s still kind of mad about Pluto being demoted, even though she was barely born at that time,” he told the Post. “She suggested a few years ago that she’d forgive me if I found a new planet. So I guess I’ve been working on this for her.”

Latest Livewire

Notable Replies

  1. NIBIRU!! NIBIRU!! WE’RE ALL GONNA DIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!

    Or something.

  2. Ok, maybe it’s not the Derp Singularity, but Trump aquires a new orbiting moon - Palin, and now there’s a new planet in town? Do I have to draw you a picture sheeple?

  3. The overflow of Trump’s ego is parked out there. That’s what the smaller bodies are orbiting.

  4. Well, it’s nice to have a ninth planet again.

  5. I hope they name it Xenu. The $cientologist$ will get trolled and ¡Jeb! will drive them even crazier by pronouncing it Xanadu.

Continue the discussion at forums.talkingpointsmemo.com

49 more replies

Participants

Avatar for system1 Avatar for ignatius_donnelly Avatar for charliee Avatar for meri Avatar for flownover Avatar for humpback Avatar for danf Avatar for commiedearest Avatar for steviedee111 Avatar for squirreltown Avatar for sandyh Avatar for bohemianbill Avatar for mantan Avatar for storm Avatar for notborneveryminute Avatar for addicted4444 Avatar for captaincommonsense Avatar for dickweed Avatar for ronbyers Avatar for khaaannn Avatar for occamsrazor2 Avatar for beattycat Avatar for albesure Avatar for frozenstarfire

Continue Discussion
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Deputy Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: