Do you remember when Pluto was considered a planet? Throughout their years in school, people learned that there were nine planets in our solar system: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto, until Pluto suddenly left the list. While Pluto may not return to planetary status again, another planet may join the ranks of the rest. Over 42 billion miles away from Earth, scientists have discovered evidence of another planet-like object shaping the orbits of distant Kuiper Belt objects. This celestial object, nicknamed “Planet X” would be 10 times the size of Earth, and would help us understand more about the outer reaches of our solar system.
Konstantin Batygin and Mike Brown, planetary science researchers at Caltech University, first discovered the planet through computer simulations. They discussed the planet's existence during a press release, stating that "for the first time in over 150 years, there is solid evidence that the solar system's planetary census is incomplete." The hypothetical planet could be used to explain the orbits of various objects in our solar system and can help make our solar system similar to those around it.
How would we prove that this planet exists? Due to the technology available to us, we only know the relative orbit of the planet. If Planet X is currently on the far end of its orbit from the Sun, it would only be found using the largest telescopes available to us. If Planet X happens to be in a part of its orbit near the sun, it has a chance of being found by many telescopes. This means that its existence is only currently proven by simulations, where it answers unknown questions about distant objects.
Since Planet X hasn’t been conclusively proven, there is another possible astronomical object. Jakub Scholtz of Durham University in Britain and James Unwin of the University of Illinois at Chicago have both suggested that Planex X may actually be a black hole. Its measurements could vary from the size of a golf ball to 20 times the size of the Earth, and if it exists, would be the closest black hole to Earth by many light years. This discovery would allow us to learn more about our solar system, and can help scientists prove or disprove the existence of dark matter and “string theory”.
The search for Planet X has been ongoing for many years, with little to no results. While it makes sense in models, technology would need to advance in order for humans to find it quickly and prove its existence. Through the continued search for Planet X, scientists aim to explore more of our solar system, to help us understand how the universe we live in works.
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