A team of researchers at the California Institute of Technology has discovered evidence of a ninth planet following a strange, highly elongated orbit in the outskirts of our solar system. Currently referred to simply as "Plant Nine," it is approximately 10 times larger than Earth, and the team claims that due to its far orbit from the sun, it would take approximately 10,000 to 20,000 years to make a full one. The researchers made the findings using mathematical modeling and computer simulations, meaning a direct observation of the planet has yet to be made.
"This would be a real ninth planet," Mike Brown, co-author of the study, said in a press release. "There have only been two true planets discovered since ancient times, and this would be a third. It's a pretty substantial chunk of our solar system that's still out there to be found, which is pretty exciting."
Given the mass of the planet - about 5,000 times that of Pluto - Brown believes that its size leaves little question as to whether or not it actually exists, despite the lack of any direct evidence. Furthermore, its gravitational strength allows it to dominate a bigger region of the solar system than any of the current planets.
The existence of Planet Nine would help explain numerous mysteries of the solar system, including the unusual characteristics of the icy objects and debris just past Neptune referred to as the Kuiper Belt.
"Although we were initially quite skeptical that this planet could exist, as we continued to investigate its orbit and what it would mean for the outer solar system, we become increasingly convinced that it is out there," said Konstantin Batygin, who co-authored the study with Brown. "For the first time in over 150 years, there is solid evidence that the solar system's planetary census is incomplete."
Despite the fact that only the rough orbit of the planet is known as opposed to its exact location, Brown believes that astronomers should be able to find it using previous surveys and claims that many telescopes have a fair shot at locating it.
"I would love to find it," Brown said. "But I'd also be perfectly happy if someone else found it. That is why we're publishing this paper. We hope that other people are going to get inspired and start searching."
The findings were published in the Jan. 20 issue of The Astronomical Journal.
