Researchers have come up with new details about Planet Nine, the existence of which has been questioned since it was proposed in 2014, and are hoping to crack the mysteries surrounding the supposed celestial object.
A new paper published in the journal Physics Reports says that if Planet Nine really exists, it could probably be five to 10 times the size of the Earth, travelling along an elongated orbit that peaks at 400 times the Earth's distance from the sun. It is also likely that the orbit is 15 to 25 degrees off the main orbital plain of the solar system.
The planet's existence has been debated for long as scientists and researchers follow the pattern of objects in the Kuiper Belt. These objects are known to form clusters, giving scientists reason to believe that gravity from a bigger object is tugging them. It is possible that the objects come together because of the “self-gravity” of the Kuiper Belt acting on its own and may not be from another planet.
Despite the scepticism around Planet Nine, new research suggests that the planet is nearer-by than previously thought. However, the authors of the paper published in Physics Reports also said that there is a possibility that such a planet didn't exist at all. This cannot be completely ruled out, they said. But astronomers are making significant strides in figuring out the existence of Planet Nine.
