Case for Planet Nine Strengthens - Coast to Coast AM
Astronomers searching for a proposed Planet Nine have published a new paper which they believe strengthens the case that the hypothetical world exists and speculated on when we may find it. The yet-to-be detected planet first made headlines in January 2016 when scientists noticed strange perturbations of objects in the Kuiper Belt. They subsequently argued that this odd behavior was caused by the influence of a massive world with an enormous orbit.
A new examination of the data by the original astronomers who spotted the strangeness out in space has reportedly led to a more refined look at this proposed world. The researchers now believe that the planet possesses a mass of around 5 times that of Earth, which is about half of what they had initially suspected. They also developed a better idea of what Planet Nine's orbit may be and how it would appear to Earth-bound astronomers.
To that end, the researchers say that their findings indicate that "Planet Nine is more readily discoverable by conventional optical surveys than previously thought." With that in mind, the astronomers theorized that the elusive world is "likely to be discovered within a decade." It remains to be seen whether or not the planet will wind up being the notorious Nibiru which has concerned conspiracy theorists for years. But, if we do manage to catch sight of the mysterious world, let's hope it doesn't turn out to be headed right for us.
Astronomers searching for a proposed Planet Nine have published a new paper which they believe strengthens the case that the hypothetical world exists and speculated on when we may find it. The yet-to-be detected planet first made headlines in January 2016 when scientists noticed strange perturbations of objects in the Kuiper Belt. They subsequently argued that this odd behavior was caused by the influence of a massive world with an enormous orbit.
A new examination of the data by the original astronomers who spotted the strangeness out in space has reportedly led to a more refined look at this proposed world. The researchers now believe that the planet possesses a mass of around 5 times that of Earth, which is about half of what they had initially suspected. They also developed a better idea of what Planet Nine's orbit may be and how it would appear to Earth-bound astronomers.
To that end, the researchers say that their findings indicate that "Planet Nine is more readily discoverable by conventional optical surveys than previously thought." With that in mind, the astronomers theorized that the elusive world is "likely to be discovered within a decade." It remains to be seen whether or not the planet will wind up being the notorious Nibiru which has concerned conspiracy theorists for years. But, if we do manage to catch sight of the mysterious world, let's hope it doesn't turn out to be headed right for us.
