Posted on 01/20/2016 1:43:51 PM PST by BenLurkin
Scientists have been wondering whether a "Planet X" exists in the dim regions far beyond the known planets, but it has remained largely speculative....
That started to change in March 2014, when a pair of astronomers announced that theyâd discovered a brand-new dwarf planet, 2012 VP113, beyond the well-populated edge of the Kuiper belt, whose main mass stretches from Neptuneâs orbit around 30 astronomical units (or 30 times the Earth-Sun distance) out to 50 astronomical units.
It wasnât the only such object: Sedna, a 600-mile-wide rock discovered in 2003, also boasted this far-out orbit, and it seemed to be making its closest approach to the sun at a similar angle as 2012 VP113. This could be highly coincidental - or it could mean that a giant planet was lurking out there in the dark, influencing both their movements.
...
The researchers studied the paths of a half-dozen far-out Kuiper belt objects. They found that certain angles in their orbits were aligned in an inexplicable way, and their perihelia â the point at which each object came closest to the sun - were all clustered very closely together, rather than being randomly distributed...
Thereâs no way that these crossing paths should remain stable, he thought â unless there was something else out there that was massive enough to shepherd these objects along, keeping them in line.
The scientists calculated that such a massive planet would have an orbit whose closest approach was on the other side of the sun from the perihelia of the objects it was shepherding. This giant planet is so far out, however, that the closest it gets to the sun is a whopping 200 astronomical units.
...
Planet Nine would probably be somewhere around ten Earth masses, making it a tiny gas giant, known as a mini-Neptune.
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
Yea, I know. From the same or similar idiots that tell us we “climate change”. These so called scientists are the biggest joke ever hoisted on mankind.
Good likeness of Obama on that flag.
A specter is haunting the Solar System . . .
With an orbital period of about 20,000 years.
Wonder when it last made its closest approach.
The designation of planet is rather arbitrary and non-scientific in the first place, being based upon its original definition of being as “wanderer” in the sky. So too were all manner of asteroids. Ceres too is a planetoid in a Solar orbit, but we did not classify it as a major planet.
Those were successes, but Vulcan has not been found, and I guess they gave up on that search. -tom
The article I read said these guys have no idea where it might be in its orbit. It would be hard to spot if it’s “close” but if it’s way out there?
After consulting star charts and using NSA's secret humongo computer, I come up with roughly about 18,000 BC for the last close approach.
:>)
The bias in the orbits of 2012 VP113, and Sedna give a clue on which general direction to look, but that’s all they have.
Pretty exciting to think this thing might actually exist, isn’t it?
“My very eager mother just served us nine pizzas”
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That won’t work. You know he’ll only want to go to the 7th planet(Uranus).
Oh that IS and old one! 10 Cents! Must be 1950s as they went to 12 cents around 1960!
Maybe URanus!
First, you told me Pluto was a planet.
Then, you told,e Pluto wasn’t a planet.
Then, you told me Pluto was a really small planet
Now, you want me to believe you?? I have lost all faith in you. Go bother someone else.
I bet Nancy Leider is so excited she had to change her Depends.
http://web.gps.caltech.edu/~mbrown/
http://www.mikebrownsplanets.com/
https://twitter.com/plutokiller?lang=en
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