The Hunt for ‘Planet Nine’: Why There Could Still Be Something Massive at the Edge of the Solar System
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Summary
The mystery of a potential undiscovered planet in the far reaches of the solar system, dubbed ‘Planet X’ or ‘Planet Nine’, has been a feature of astronomy for nearly a century.
Several orbits of the outer reaches of the solar system, including the recent discovery of the sednoid 2023 KQ14, whose closest approach to the sun is around 71AU, while its furthest point is about 433AU, present challenges to the theory.
However, Konstantin Batygin and Mike Brown’s 2016 theory relating to the orbital patterns of the Kuiper Belthas provided substantial evidence for the existence of a large, currently undiscovered planet.
While the outer solar system has not been observed for long enough to confirm or deny this theory conclusively, the gravitational effects of Planet X would likely only become noticeable over four or five orbits.
The hunt for the elusive planet will continue to be one of the space industry’s greatest unsolved mysteries.
