Most people have known since a fairly young age that there are eight planets in our solar system (nine, during the time Pluto was considered a planet).
This is because it has been quite some time since a new one has been found. Neptune was the last one discovered, and that was back in 1846.
The reality is, however, that we still don’t know everything about our solar system, and many astronomers believe there could be additional planets still hiding at the edges of our galactic home.
In 2015, astronomers from Caltech offered evidence that there was something beyond Neptune that was pulling six objects along. They suggested that this could be a ninth planet.
At the time, there wasn’t enough evidence for this to be taken too seriously by many people, and some other astronomers attributed it to selection bias or a statistical anomaly.
A new paper is being published, however, that offers additional evidence to support the theory that there is a ninth planet somewhere out past the orbit of Neptune.
The paper suggests that the orbit of this planet would likely be somewhere between 15-30 astronomical units (AU).
An astronomical unit is the distance between the sun and Earth.
The team performed various simulations to explain the orbit of the known objects that are in this area. One model inserted the ninth planet, and another left it out.
They found that the model with the planet matched observations accurately, while the other one did not.
This is the strongest evidence so far that there is a planet out there waiting to be discovered. It does not, however, indicate where to look for the planet. Fortunately, it may be possible to detect it soon.
The team commented on this, saying:
“Excitingly, the dynamics described here, along with all other lines of evidence for Planet 9, will soon face a rigorous test with the operational commencement of the Vera Rubin Observatory. This upcoming phase of exploration promises to provide critical insights into the mysteries of our solar system’s outer reaches.”
Discovering a new planet in our solar system for the first time in over 150 years would be very exciting.
If you thought that was interesting, you might like to read about a second giant hole has opened up on the sun’s surface. Here’s what it means.