Planet Nine and Ten Update 06/26/2017

TL;DR

The outer solar system holds many mysteries, including the possibility of undiscovered planets and their potential impact on comets and the inner solar system.

Transcript

The outer solar system has always been this mysterious place about which up until little was known until relatively recently. I remember pondering what mysteries might lie out there as a teenaged amateur astronomer decades ago as Voyager II gave us our first look at Neptune concluding its grand tour of the outer planets. But what was there beyond N... Read More

Key Insights

• 👨‍🔬 The outer solar system, once a mysterious region, is now revealing its secrets through ongoing research.
• 👶 The presence of potential new planets in the trans-Neptunian region could reshape our understanding of the solar system's structure.
• 🥹 The LSST, set to become operational in the early 2020s, holds promise for discovering and studying these outer solar system planets.

Questions & Answers

Q: What evidence supports the existence of "Planet 10" in the outer solar system?

The odd tilt of the orbital angles of outer Kuiper Belt objects suggests the presence of a Mars-sized planet. However, further research is needed to confirm its existence and characteristics.

Q: Could "Planet Nine" explain the sun's tilted axis and perturbations on Saturn and the Oort cloud?

Yes, indirect evidence suggests that the presence of "Planet Nine" could explain these phenomena. Its gravitational influence may have caused these effects.

Q: What are the possible origins of "Planet Nine"?

"Planet Nine" may have been captured by the sun from a passing solar system or from one of the stars the sun formed with. It would likely be composed of similar materials to our own planets.

Q: Will the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) help in the search for these outer solar system planets?

Yes, the LSST, with its wide field of view and ongoing sky survey, is expected to be instrumental in discovering more Kuiper Belt objects and potentially confirming the existence of "Planet 10" and "Planet Nine."

Summary & Key Takeaways

• The trans-Neptunian region of the solar system has always been mysterious, but recent discoveries suggest the presence of thousands of small worlds and potentially new planets.

• Researchers have proposed the existence of a Mars-sized planet, referred to as "Planet 10," based on the strange tilt of outer Kuiper Belt objects' orbital angles. Its true nature and characteristics are still unknown.

• Another planet, "Planet Nine," is believed to be responsible for the odd orbits of trans-Neptunian objects and may explain various phenomena in the solar system, such as the sun's tilted axis and perturbations on Saturn and the Oort cloud.