Scientists continue their persistent search for Planet Nine, a hypothetical object located in the outer region of the Solar System, far beyond the orbit of Pluto. The aim of the new study was to narrow down the possible locations of Planet Nine, which could help better understand the structure of the Solar System, as well as its formation and evolutionary processes.

Mike Brown, professor of astronomy at the California Institute of Technology and lead author of the study, said: “We continue to actively explore various areas where Planet Nine could be located under our assumptions. Our latest study, using Pan-STARRS data, covers the largest area of ​​the sky to date.”

Pan-STARRS is an astronomical system that includes the Panoramic Survey Telescope located at the University of Hawaii. In this study, scientists used data from Data Release 2 (DR2) to refine possible locations of Planet Nine based on results from previous studies.

The team was able to narrow down the number of possible locations for Planet Nine, eliminating approximately 78% of previous options. In addition, they provided new estimates of the size and orbit of this planet (about 500 AU). and 6.6 times more than Earth.

Regarding further exploration, Brown said: “I think LSST is the one most likely to aid in the discovery of Planet Nine. When it launches in a year or two it will quickly cover most of the search area, and if Planet Nine exists we will find it.”

The main objectives of the LSST will be the study of the southern sky and the study of near-Earth asteroids, minor planets and other objects of the Solar System, as well as the study of the properties and evolution of dark matter, dark energy. Milky Way.

If discovered, Planet Nine would be the fifth largest planet in the Solar System and the only planet with a mass between that of Earth and Uranus.

Hypotheses regarding the existence of the Ninth Planet arose after the discovery of Neptune in 1846. In 1880, D. Kirkwood published a memoir, and astronomer Clyde Tombaugh, who discovered Pluto in 1930, put forward his hypothesis about the Ninth Planet in 1946. Updated evidence of its existence emerged in 2016 and 2017; the first of these was written by Mike Brown. The actual study is the most comprehensive analysis narrowing down possible locations for Planet Nine.

Brown is convinced: “A large body of evidence points to the existence of Planet Nine. Without taking into account its influence, it becomes difficult to understand the Solar System. Planet Nine explains many features of the orbits of objects in the outer part of the solar system that are otherwise incomprehensible and each of which requires a separate explanation.”