{"id":1759,"date":"2016-01-21T18:37:17","date_gmt":"2016-01-22T02:37:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/universesandbox.com\/blog\/?p=1759"},"modified":"2021-05-26T14:56:12","modified_gmt":"2021-05-26T21:56:12","slug":"alpha-18-2-planet-9","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/universesandbox.com\/blog\/2016\/01\/alpha-18-2-planet-9\/","title":{"rendered":"Alpha 18.2 | Planet Nine | Now Available"},"content":{"rendered":"

Planet Nine<\/h3>\n

The discovery of a hypothetical ninth planet in our solar system was announced on January 20th, 2016<\/a> by researchers at the California Institute of Technology.<\/p>\n

Universe Sandbox \u00b2 Alpha 18.2 features two simulations of Planet Nine. Run Steam to update, then check them out in Home -> Open -> Possible Planet Nine [and] Evidence of a Ninth Planet. <\/strong><\/p>\n

Or buy now for instant access to Universe Sandbox \u00b2 on Steam Early Access:<\/strong><\/p>\n

http:\/\/store.steampowered.com\/app\/230290\/<\/a><\/p>\n

http:\/\/universesandbox.com<\/a><\/p>\n

The announcement comes after years of research into explaining the peculiar, but very similar, orbits of six small bodies orbiting beyond Neptune. Many theories have been proposed, but none has been as compelling as a very distant ninth planet pulling these bodies into their highly elliptical orbits. Using mathematical modeling, the two researchers, Konstantin Batygin and Mike Brown, have shown that a ninth planet fits very well into the data we have about objects in the Kuiper Belt and beyond.<\/p>\n

\"There's

There’s only a 1 in 15,000 chance that the clustering of the orbits on the left is coincidental. Another explanation is the gravitational influence of a ninth planet, whose orbit is represented by the yellow line on the right. (from Universe Sandbox \u00b2)<\/p><\/div>\n

Planet Nine has not been directly observed yet by telescope, which is why it is hypothetical. But the researchers say there is a very good chance of spotting it in the next five years. It is suspected to be about 10 times the mass of Earth, similar in size to Neptune, with an orbit that’ll take it around the Sun every 10,000 – 20,000 years. <\/span><\/p>\n

Of course, we don’t know how Planet Nine got there. Brown and Batygin propose that this planet was formed in the early days of the solar system, along with Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. Then it could have been shot outward by one of the gas giants, and instead of leaving the solar system entirely, it may have been slowed down by gas in the Sun’s protoplanetary disk, enough to keep it in orbit.<\/p>\n

\"Universe

Alternative angle of Planet Nine (yellow orbital line) and the six objects used in the analysis. (from Universe Sandbox \u00b2)<\/p><\/div>\n

If the ninth planet does exist, then it will be the second time our solar system will have claim to nine planets… After, of course, Pluto was demoted in 2006. But Brown says there’s no question that the hypothetical ninth planet is indeed a planet. It’s likely much bigger than Earth, and has a large influence on other bodies in the solar system. And besides, Brown would know — his discovery of Eris was the reason Pluto was voted out.<\/p>\n

Here’s a great discussion of Planet Nine by Mike Merrifield, an astronomer and professor at the University of Nottingham:<\/p>\n