Elusive Planet Nine could be an alternative form of gravity masquerading as a planet, study claims

 

Image courtecy: Shutterstock

Joel Kontinen

Some astronauts think that the elusive Planet Nine, which is theorized to be lurking somewhere in the outer reaches of the solar system, may not be a planet after all, a new study suggests. Instead, what we assumed to be a massive object could be evidence that gravity doesn't work like we thought it does. But the new theory doesn't sit well with everyone.

“The Planet Nine hypothesis, first proposed in 2016, argues that the unusual orbits of objects in the Kuiper Belt beyond Neptune, which seem to be being pulled away from the sun, can be explained by the presence of an undiscovered ninth planet up to 10 times more massive than Earth. Astronomers have been looking for Planet Nine ever since. However, despite searching almost half of the night sky, they have so far come up empty-handed. “   

Source: 

Harry Baker 2023.

 October 16, Elusive Planet Nine could be an alternative form of gravity masquerading as a planet, study claims | Live Science

Odd Trans-Neptunian Star Might Be Planet Nine’s Cousin

 

Image courtesy of ESA/Hubble, M. Kornmesser.

 

Joel Kontinen

In the far reaches of the solar system,  beyond Neptune, exists a cluster of icy celestial objects known as extreme trans-Neptunian object that move in unexpected ways. Some astronomers think these objects are responding to the gravitational pull of a yet-unobserved planet, known as Planet Nine, which orbits the sun very far away.

 According to evolution, ”the new discovery of an exoplanet named HD 106906 b could help explain how a planet could get kicked to the far edges of the solar system without being ejected altogether, according to researchers with the Hubble Space Telescope.”

 Here’s how scientist explain the matter: “The exoplanet formed quite close to its stars, even closer than Earth is to the sun. Over time, though, drag caused the exoplanet's orbit to decay, which would have pulled it even closer to its host stars. Instead of colliding into them, though, the complex gravity of the pair of stars would have kicked the exoplanet into a new orbit, this one taking it far into space.”

But this is science fiction, not science fact.

Source:

Pappas, Stephanie, 2020. 'Planet Nine' cousin found Live Science 14 December.