Context
Scientists have found preliminary evidence of a ninth planet in our solar system.
The new research
- Planet Nine - also referred to as Planet X - is a massive, hypothetical object.
- It is in an elliptical orbit far beyond Pluto, roughly at a distance that would take 10,000 to 20,000 Earth years for it to complete a single trip around the Sun.
- If real, the planet would change our understanding of the solar system - reversing the number of planets to the original count of nine, but without Pluto.
- Neptune was the last planet to be added to our solar system's roster in 1846 when it was discovered due to the gravitational influence on Uranus.
What is a Planet?
The International Astronomical Union defines a planet as a celestial body that orbits the sun, has enough gravity to pull itself into a round or almost round shape, and has cleared the neighborhood around its orbit.
- Pluto, once the ninth planet in the solar system, was demoted to dwarf planet status in 2006 because it failed on the third point of the definition for a planet:
- It had not cleared its neighborhood of space objects.
- Pluto sits in the vast Kuiper Belt, a region beyond Neptune that contains trillions of objects.
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