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Planet 9

There is a theory that a ninth planet exists in our solar system. This theory was introduced in 2016 by astronomers Konstantin Batygin and Michael E. Brown based on unusual orbits of objects beyond Neptune. If it exists, Planet 9 is estimated to be 10 times Earth's mass and have an elongated, highly inclined orbit between 250-650 AU from the sun, taking around 10,000 years to orbit. Its existence may explain why some Kuiper Belt objects have synchronized orbits that seem influenced by an unseen gravitational force. Finding direct evidence of Planet 9 has been difficult due to its great distance from Earth.

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82 views

Planet 9

There is a theory that a ninth planet exists in our solar system. This theory was introduced in 2016 by astronomers Konstantin Batygin and Michael E. Brown based on unusual orbits of objects beyond Neptune. If it exists, Planet 9 is estimated to be 10 times Earth's mass and have an elongated, highly inclined orbit between 250-650 AU from the sun, taking around 10,000 years to orbit. Its existence may explain why some Kuiper Belt objects have synchronized orbits that seem influenced by an unseen gravitational force. Finding direct evidence of Planet 9 has been difficult due to its great distance from Earth.

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Planet 9

By: Daniel Workman


Theoretically, there could be a ninth planet in our solar system. This theory was introduced by Konstantin
Batygin and Michael E. Brown in 2016. Michael E. Brown is an astronomer and a professor at Caltech. He was
one of the main scientists that was responsible for demoting Pluto from planet status and has discovered most
of the objects in the Kuiper Belt (Britt). Konstantin Batygin is a recent graduate from Caltech and is now an
assistant professor there (Event). He is also on Forbes’ 30 under 30 science list of 2015 (30).

www.egconf.com/presenters/konstantin-batygin.
kavliprize.org/events-and-features/kavli-prize-

“Konstantin Batygin.” Egconf.com,


“Michael E Brown.” Kavliprize.org,

lecture-tales-outer-solar-system.
WHAT CRITERIA DEFINES A PLANET?

• It orbits the sun.


• It has enough mass for its gravity field to make it round.
• It is gravitationally dominant clearing its orbit of all other objects.

“Pluto in Colorized Infared.” Planetary.org,


www.planetary.org/multimedia/space-
images/small-bodies/Pluto-in-Colorized-
Infrared.html.

Pluto no longer has planetary status because it is not gravitationally dominant (Why) .
PHYSICAL ATTRIBUTES

Physically, Planet 9 is estimated to be 10 times the


mass of the Earth (mass=volume/density). The
physical volume of this theoretical planet is
estimated to be two-four times the size of the Earth
(TheLipTV2).
This means that this planet is very dense. It is a gas
giant like Uranus and Neptune with very little solid
surface. What little surface it does have is made up
of ice and rock. It has a very thick atmosphere
mostly made up of hydrogen and helium. It is
“Planet Sizes.” Spacecentre.co.uk, spacecentre.co.uk/blog-post/searching-for-planet-
expected that planet nine has moons (TheLipTV2). nine/.
THE ORBIT

Its orbit is very elongated, with its closest point to the sun
being 250 AU (AU stands for Astronomical Units, 1 AU is
equal to the distance between the Earth and the Sun). At its
furthest point from the sun it is 620-650 AU (Event).
The orbit of planet 9 is opposite that of the other eight. The
other eight planets orbit with the furthest point of their orbit
in the same direction. Planet nine orbits the opposite side.
One full orbit of planet nine is estimated to take 10,000 years
(TheLipTV2).

Garlick, Mark. “Far Afield.” Nature.com , 22 June 2017,


www.nature.com/news/solar-system-survey-casts-doubt-on-mysterious-
planet-nine-1.22177.
WHY IS IT BELIEVED THAT THERE IS A MISSING
PLANET?

One reason for the existence of planet nine is the dwarf planets
out by the Kuiper Belt all follow a similar orbit. All the objects
are angled on their axis on the plane of our solar system. This
suggests that something is gravitationally pulling the objects in
our solar system. Without this gravitational effect each dwarf
planet orbit in our solar system would start to randomize and
they would not be in sync with each other like they are today
(Event).

Garlick, Mark. “Far Afield.” Nature.com , 22 June 2017,


www.nature.com/news/solar-system-survey-casts-doubt-
on-mysterious-planet-nine-1.22177.
WHY IS IT BELIEVED THAT THERE IS A MISSING
PLANET?

Another reason for Planet 9 is objects in the Kuiper Belt


are grouping together in a manner that cant be explained
by the known planets and objects in our solar system
(TheLipTV2). The gravitational force exerted on these
objects would have to come from a very large object.
Large enough to be considered a planet.

“Kuiper Belt.” Solarsystem.nasa.com, 14 Dec. 2018,


solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/792/10-things-to-know-about-the-
kuiper-belt/.
SO WHY HASN’T THIS PLANET BEEN FOUND?

The main obstacle is distance. The way planets are visible is by light reflecting off them. The problem is the light
reflecting off an object is 1/16th as bright of that if the distance between the two objects was halved (Event). So,
if you were able to move the moon twice as close to the Earth as it is now, it would be 16 times brighter.
Konstantin says that planet nine will be discovered within the next 8 years (Event).
WORKS CITED
“30 Under 30.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, www.forbes.com/30-under- 30-2015/#/science.
Batygin, Konstantin, and Michael E. Brown. “Evidence For A Distant Giant Planet In The Solar System.” The Astronomical
Journal, vol. 151, no. 2, 2016, p. 22., doi:10.3847/0004-6256/151/2/22.
Britt, Robert Roy. “Pluto Demoted: No Longer a Planet in Highly Controversial Definition.” Space.com, 24 Aug. 2006,
www.space.com/2791-pluto-demoted-longer-planet-highly-controversial- definition.html.
Event Horizon, “Does Planet Nine Exist? Featuring Dr. Konstantin” Youtube.com, 23 Feb. 2019, 5 Mar. 2019,
www.youtube.com/watch?v=gG58idb6HuA
“Outer Space.” Forbes.com, 30 Nov. 2017, www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2017/11/30/how-cold-is-outer-
space/#6662ef377f11.
TheLipTV2, “Planet 9 Explained and Explored with Astronomer Konstantin Batygin”, Youtube.com, 27 Jan. 2016, 1 Mar.
2016, www.youtube.com/watch?v=eutrzvicjMs
“Why Is Pluto No Longer a Planet?” Planning D-Day (April 2003) - Library of Congress Information Bulletin, Victor,
www.loc.gov/rr/scitech/mysteries/pluto.html.

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