Scientists have pinpointed the location of the solar system's potential ninth planet based on data from NASA's Cassini spacecraft. By using a mathematical formula calculating the effect of the behavior of the other known planets when Planet 9 swings near any of their orbits, scientists have now determined its estimated position.
This ninth planet or Planet 9 is believed to possess a massive orbit around the sun in a shape of an elongated loop. This means that any effect of this planet on the other planets in the solar system is not via direct observation. In this new study, scientists now limited their search zone to half of its total orbit between two zones of the possible areas.
According to lead author of the study, Jacques Laskar of the Paris Observatory, we have now cut the work in half.
Just last month, astronomers Mike Brown and Konstantin Batygin of Caltech announced their discovery of a potential existence of a ninth planet, hiding in the solar system that is believed to possess an orbit of 10,000 to 20,000 years around the sun, that is also 10 times bigger than Earth.
In order to detect Planet 9 with indirect evidence, the Caltech astronomers were able to detect six Kuiper Belt objects that are believed to point in a specific direction towards the elliptical orbit of this ninth planet. The objects are estimated to be the size of dwarf planet Pluto or even smaller that orbit the sun in the Kuiper belt.
The astronomers determined that the position and distribution of these icy objects in the asteroid belt were significant, where they found out that six of them are all tilted in the same direction. This led to the conclusion that something else is affecting and forming the orbits of these Kuiper belt objects, that now involves a theory of a ninth planet lurking in the edges of the solar system.
In this new study, Laskar says that the search zone of Planet 9 can be narrowed down further if the Cassini mission of the Saturn system will be extended to 2020. However, scientists still speculate that it will take a long time before the exact location of this planet can be detected, if this planet does exist. Apart from this data, a massive, powerful telescope should be able to search for planet 9 due to its incredibly vast orbit.
In past studies, mathematical models have first predicted the existence of other planets however, most cases are proven to be wrong. Among the successful predictions was Neptune, as it was calculated based on the gravitational forces of Uranus.
This new study is published in the Astronomy and Astrophysics journal.