Planet X or Nah?
The intriguing narrative of Planet X, also known as Planet Nine, has captivated astronomers and space enthusiasts for over half a decade. Initially inferred in 2015, this elusive celestial body is hypothesized to be lingering in the distant boundaries of our solar system. However, this supposition stands more as a mathematical puzzle than a tangible reality, owing to the fact that Planet X is yet to be directly observed.
The enigma of Planet X stems from the peculiar orbital behavior of certain celestial objects in the remote confines of our solar system. These distant bodies seem to be responding to the gravitational pull of an unseen entity, ostensibly Planet X. Yet, without tangible proof, this planetary phantom remains enigmatic.
In their quest for evidence, Caltech astronomers Mike Brown and Konstantin Batygin offered compelling research in 2015 that pointed towards the existence of a huge celestial entity, roughly 4 times the size of Earth, trailing an atypical elongated orbit in the solar system's outskirts. Their data, extrapolated from intricate mathematical simulations and models, insinuate that Planet X can potentially have a mass 10 times that of Earth, and may need anywhere between 10,000- 20,000 years to orbit the sun once.
The genesis of the concept of a 9th planet can be traced back to Percival Lowell, a 19th-century entrepreneur and writer. After an epiphany sparked by a book on Mars, Lowell delved into astronomy and was adamant about the existence of a 9th planet in our solar system. His conjecture eventually led to the discovery of Pluto in 1930, initially mistaken as the enigmatic Planet X. However, Pluto was reclassified as a dwarf planet in 2006, sharing its demotion with Eris, discovered a year earlier. The moniker "Planet X" now generally refers to any undiscovered celestial body in our solar system.
Interestingly, in 1989, the Voyager 2 spacecraft briefly dismissed the notion of Planet X when it detected Neptune to be slightly lighter than expected. This revelation suggested that the orbits of outer planets were inherently coherent, negating the necessity for a hypothetical Planet X.
Nonetheless, the possibility of Planet X was revived, courtesy of the findings by Batygin and Brown. Their meticulous work unearthed potential evidence of a large, unidentified object influencing the orbits of several Kuiper Belt objects. Despite these intriguing findings, they cautiously emphasized that it was too early to definitively proclaim the discovery of Planet X.
Complicating matters further is the introduction of Nibiru, another hypothetical celestial body sometimes referred to as Planet X. However, Nibiru is a concoction of conspiracy theories, with spurious claims of it causing havoc on Earth through 'plasmatic energy particles.' NASA has firmly debunked these speculations, labeling them as internet hoaxes.
It is still unresolved
As of today, the conundrum of Planet X remains unresolved. While there has been skepticism- a 2021 study led by physicist Kevin Napier from the University of Michigan even posited that the observed perturbations in trans-Neptunian objects could be explained without a proximate planet- astronomers like Mike Brown remain sanguine about its discovery. Indeed, Planet X, whether it exists or not, continues to bewitch people who gaze at the heavens, an emblem of the mysteries that the cosmos continues to harbor.
Reference
● NASA. (2023). Hypothetical Planet X. Available at- https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/hypothetical-planet-x/in-depth/
● Tonkin, S. (2023). Does Planet X really exist? DailyMail. Available at- https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-11649801/Does-Planet-X-really-exist.html
