Planet Nine

[Sektor]

Interesting thought. A recent theory as to why the solar system is twisting out of alignment is the hypothetical introduction of a ninth planet, which I will here by refer to as JD, or John Doe. A recent study by CalTech University theorizes that there is a Ninth planet (JD) causing a large misalignment between Sol and her planets. You can find articles from the Washington Post, the LA Times, NBCNews and CalTech itself.

It is an interesting theory that has recently come up (albeit I found it through... science, not accident.) and I find it more than a little exciting. It would mean that there are nine planets and that JD would become a newly discovered celestial body in the Sol system! It might prove to be one of the greatest astrological discoveries of this century thus far if it proves correct! I for one hope that their theory does pan out. It'd be great for the people working on the project and maybe get more than a few kids interested in astronomy and space again.

They're still attempting to find trace evidence for this theory and are busy trying to accrue data regarding such. What are your thoughts on this? Comments? Concerns? Is it malarkey? What do you think JD will be designated if it is indeed real? What would it be like geologically do you think?

 

[Desinishon]

I'm going to agree with you that its really a interesting theory but i might add that in the past there have been claims for an extra "Planet X" (now planet IX, or the more familiar Planet Nine, due to Pluto's demotion). But none of them have fully held up so far.
When further irregularities in the orbit of Uranus were first noticed in 1906 it sparked a search for a Planet X that was thought to be massive. Eventually, however, the less-massive Pluto was found instead by Clyde Tombaugh in 1930. In the 1980 Planet X was proposed by Robert S Harrington based on the irregular orbits of Neptune and Uranus. This was later disproved by Myles Standish, who was able to explain the irregularities by revising the mass for Neptune using data from the Voyager flyby.



but compared to above Planet Nine has more supporting evidence. I think this is partly because effects have been seen in the orbits of the six Kuiper belt objects rather than just one or two, which makes the theory seem potentially plausible. About geologically it'll be big XD I hope it became real in future. c;



Now about that name what about "Desisses"

 

[gehringgame]

The proposed existence of Planet 9 is certainly interesting. Not only could it explain orbital irregularities in Kuiper belt objects, but it could also explain the tilt of the plane of the ecliptic relative to the Sun, which has always been a curiosity. Mike Brown of Caltech predicts that if Planet 9 exists it may be discovered in as little as one year's time.

If it does exist I think it is likely to be a captured object. Its proposed mass and radius suggest that it's likely to be similar in composition to Uranus – a rocky core and an icy mantle within a gaseous envelope.

As for what we should name it? I say "Bob."

 

[Esper]

I expect if this planet exists it would have to be pretty light. The further from the sun, the weaker the gravitational pull on an object. My guess would be something more like Pluto than Uranus - something relatively small.

I wonder if it's possible for a concentration of small Kuiper belt objects to have enough mass to account for all the things we're now suspecting might be a planet instead. What I mean is, if there is an uneven distribution in the belt, the side with more mass might act like a single larger object for the purposes of its gravitational effect. But I'm not educated enough in the science here to know if that's possible.

Now about that name what about "Desisses"

My one minute internet search tells me this means "if you stop" in Latin.

 

[gimmepie]

A lot of people talk about this hypothetical planet being very similar to Uranus (or sometimes neptune) but it seems more likely to me it'd be made of rock or ice since it would most likely be located in the Kuiper belt which is composed entirely of rocky and icy bodies.

 

[Sektor]

A lot of people talk about this hypothetical planet being very similar to Uranus (or sometimes neptune) but it seems more likely to me it'd be made of rock or ice since it would most likely be located in the Kuiper belt which is composed entirely of rocky and icy bodies.

I would probably agree with this. I think the closest example of a planet that it could also be is Neptune being so far out and hidden. It could be a number of things regarding JD's climate. It might even have major climate differences due the presence of major gravity wells ohohoho! It'll be interesting to find out what the climate really is, that is, if it does exist of course.

 

[gehringgame]

I expect if this planet exists it would have to be pretty light. The further from the sun, the weaker the gravitational pull on an object. My guess would be something more like Pluto than Uranus - something relatively small.

I wonder if it's possible for a concentration of small Kuiper belt objects to have enough mass to account for all the things we're now suspecting might be a planet instead. What I mean is, if there is an uneven distribution in the belt, the side with more mass might act like a single larger object for the purposes of its gravitational effect. But I'm not educated enough in the science here to know if that's possible.

Unfortunately it has to be heavy to fit the calculations. Its mass would have to be getting on for 10 times that of earth. A massive body like this could certainly orbit the sun that far out, it would just orbit very slowly. The proposed orbital period is anywhere from 10,000 - 20,000 Earth years.

The idea of a cluster of Kuiper belt objects is an interesting one! I think part of the evidence for Planet 9's existence is the irregular orbits of certain Kuiper belt objects, which would suggest a force external to the belt itself, but this is good thinking! Who knows!

A lot of people talk about this hypothetical planet being very similar to Uranus (or sometimes neptune) but it seems more likely to me it'd be made of rock or ice since it would most likely be located in the Kuiper belt which is composed entirely of rocky and icy bodies.

Uranus actually is composed primarily of ice, just maybe not the way we think of it here on Earth. Its gaseous envelope accounts for only 5% - 10% of its masses and only about 20% of its radius. Its icy mantle is composed of heavier elements (water, ammonia, methane) than you would find in gas giants and surrounds a rocky core.

The probability that we would find a super-massive rocky planet without a significant atmosphere or ocean of volatiles is slim. Planets of only about twice Earth's mass can begin to collect thick gaseous envelopes.

Still, it will be very interesting to learn about the composition of Planet 9, if it exists, since it will tell us a lot about whether it formed within our solar system or was captured from interstellar space.

 

[Sektor]

Still, it will be very interesting to learn about the composition of Planet 9, if it exists, since it will tell us a lot about whether it formed within our solar system or was captured from interstellar space.

That's actually an exciting idea. A celestial body that was just captured by the Sol System? What are the odds of such a thing happening? It would open up so many more questions than solve I suppose. It'd be cool if it was though.

 

[Rune]

Before there was the Planet Nine hypothesis, people already thought that there was something beyond the Kuiper Belt. The only reason why people think it's a planet is because some scientist put a planet in a simulation and it made the Kuiper Belt objects with highly elliptical orbits match what it looks like right now.

However, if this object does tilt the sun by six degrees, then there is a possibility that it isn't a planet at all, but rather a brown dwarf, which was the original hypotheses before Planet Nine theory got more popular. This means that this is an object bigger than Jupiter, and would be hot and gassy.

At the moment though, there's no way to know because the object is pretty far away from the sun that it doesn't quite reflect much sunlight. Not only that, due to the distance, there's a whole lot of space to scan through, where we look not for a planet, but a tiny black dot that covers up some of the lights from outer space. I'm not sure if it's gonna be discovered next year.

Mike Brown of Caltech predicts that if Planet 9 exists it may be discovered in as little as one year's time.

But who knows. We discovered Pluto somehow and other Kuiper Belt objects. Astronomers just discover things!

 

[gimmepie]

Before there was the Planet Nine hypothesis, people already thought that there was something beyond the Kuiper Belt. The only reason why people think it's a planet is because some scientist put a planet in a simulation and it made the Kuiper Belt objects with highly elliptical orbits match what it looks like right now.

However, if this object does tilt the sun by six degrees, then there is a possibility that it isn't a planet at all, but rather a brown dwarf, which was the original hypotheses before Planet Nine theory got more popular. This means that this is an object bigger than Jupiter, and would be hot and gassy.

At the moment though, there's no way to know because the object is pretty far away from the sun that it doesn't quite reflect much sunlight. Not only that, due to the distance, there's a whole lot of space to scan through, where we look not for a planet, but a tiny black dot that covers up some of the lights from outer space. I'm not sure if it's gonna be discovered next year.



But who knows. We discovered Pluto somehow and other Kuiper Belt objects. Astronomers just discover things!

Wouldn't a brown dwarf be so massive it drew those Kuiper Belt bodies in and crushed them with its gravity though? Afterall they're technically stars so they're pretty damn huge.

This reminds me of Nemesis.

 

[Rune]

Wouldn't a brown dwarf be so massive it drew those Kuiper Belt bodies in and crushed them with its gravity though? Afterall they're technically stars so they're pretty damn huge.

This reminds me of Nemesis.

Not really if it's far away. The Sun is more massive and it doesn't draw Mercury in. The distance between the Kuiper Belt objects and the theoretical Planet 9/Nemesis are much further than between Sun and Mercury.

 

[gimmepie]

Not really if it's far away. The Sun is more massive and it doesn't draw Mercury in. The distance between the Kuiper Belt objects and the theoretical Planet 9/Nemesis are much further than between Sun and Mercury.

Huh, I was under the impression that the were quite close together so I stand corrected xD

 

[Rune]

Huh, I was under the impression that the were quite close together so I stand corrected xD

Yeah! It's pretty difficult to understand distances in space sometimes. I think that the distance between Neptune and Pluto are way greater than the distance between Sun and Jupiter. Also, an orbit is basically falling but missing. Even if Nemesis/Planet 9 is drawing the Kuiper belt objects in, they are obviously missing the Brown Dwarf/Planet. Just like how Earth is being pulled in by the Sun's gravity, but we're missing the Sun because it's so far away.

Another mistaken belief is that the Supermassive black hole in the center of our galaxy is drawing in the stars around it. This isn't true either. Everything that the black hole had sucked in, had been sucked in. Everything else is just falling towards it but missing, including our own solar system.

 

[gimmepie]

Yeah! It's pretty difficult to understand distances in space sometimes. I think that the distance between Neptune and Pluto are way greater than the distance between Sun and Jupiter. Also, an orbit is basically falling but missing. Even if Nemesis/Planet 9 is drawing the Kuiper belt objects in, they are obviously missing the Brown Dwarf/Planet. Just like how Earth is being pulled in by the Sun's gravity, but we're missing the Sun because it's so far away.

Another mistaken belief is that the Supermassive black hole in the center of our galaxy is drawing in the stars around it. This isn't true either. Everything that the black hole had sucked in, had been sucked in. Everything else is just falling towards it but missing, including our own solar system.

Oh no I knew most of that, I was just under the impression that the Kuiper belt objects were way closer and that they'd pull a Shoemaker-Levy and crash into this other object if it were a Brown Dwarf not a planet. If they're so much further away though that's definitely not happening.

You're so right though, scale in space is absolutely mind-boggling and hard to comprehend.