00:00 So, we might be getting closer to finding a massive icy planet beyond Neptune's orbit.
00:05 Sorry, Pluto, still not you.
00:08 Recently, some universe mapping using data from a telescope in Hawaii eliminated about
00:13 78% of the possible locations for this mysterious Waldo from space.
00:19 Some people call it Planet Nine, while others prefer Planet X.
00:24 Either way, it's been causing controversy since its existence was first proposed, and
00:29 that is mainly because no study so far can answer the big question – does it really
00:35 exist?
00:36 If discovered, Planet Nine would rank as the fifth largest planet in our solar system,
00:41 with a mass 10 times that of Earth.
00:43 It's also theorized to be gaseous, like Uranus.
00:47 The initial study on Planet Nine, dating back to 2016, suggests that this colossal new planet
00:54 orbits the Sun 29 times farther out than Neptune, which sits at about 2.8 billion miles.
01:01 As a result, the Planet Nine would take between 10,000 and 20,000 years to complete a single
01:07 orbit around the Sun.
01:09 If confirmed, this yet-to-be-understood world would dominate a region larger than any other
01:14 known planet in our cosmic neighborhood.
01:18 These are all intriguing hypotheses, but without a single piece of evidence or observation
01:23 to back them up.
01:25 Before dismissing this as a wild guess, it is important to note that these researchers
01:30 relied on complex mathematical modeling and computer simulations to speculate about the
01:36 planet's characteristics.
01:37 'Cause that's what they do.
01:39 The hypothetical presence of this planet would explain various mysterious features located
01:45 beyond Neptune.
01:46 We are specifically talking about the Kuiper Belt, a huge donut-shaped region filled with
01:52 icy debris left over from the formation of the Solar System, including comets and dwarf
01:57 planets like Pluto.
02:00 What happens is that the six farthest objects in the Kuiper Belt exhibit elliptical orbits
02:05 that are all oriented in a similar direction within physical space and tilted approximately
02:11 30 degrees downward relative to the orbital plane of our eight known planets.
02:16 What's strange here is that despite their distinct orbital velocities around the Solar
02:20 System, they maintain this alignment.
02:23 The likelihood of such alignment occurring randomly is extremely low, around 0.007%.
02:31 So here comes Planet Nine, a hypothetical massive celestial body that offers a plausible
02:37 explanation for this strange phenomenon, potentially exerting gravitational influence to shape
02:43 these orbits.
02:46 The initial theory didn't hold up for long, facing accusations of observational bias and
02:51 calculation errors.
02:53 Then in 2017, another study popped up, sparking back the idea that maybe Planet Nine is out
03:00 there after all.
03:02 This time, Spanish astronomers tried a novel approach, focusing on observing extreme trans-Neptunian
03:08 objects.
03:10 These celestial bodies orbit the Sun in highly stretched elliptical paths, with average distances
03:15 exceeding 13 billion miles.
03:18 The research suggests that the distances between these objects' nodes and the Sun might provide
03:23 clues to Planet Nine's location.
03:26 You see, these nodes are the points where a celestial body's orbit intersects the
03:31 Solar System's plane.
03:33 When these objects reach these points, they're more likely to interact with other Solar System
03:37 bodies, potentially causing significant changes in their orbits or even collisions.
03:43 So if the trajectory of these extreme trans-Neptunian objects remains stable, everything's fine.
03:50 But if it's not, well, that's a sign that something else, something big, is messing
03:55 with their path.
03:57 And that's exactly what the research found.
04:00 There is something unseen out there, throwing these objects off course.
04:04 And that something could be a planet, chilling at a distance between 300 to 400 times farther
04:10 from the Sun than Earth.
04:12 To this day, the study of the extreme trans-Neptunian objects is the strongest evidence we've
04:18 got for Planet Nine's existence.
04:20 And if you're still not convinced by this theory, know that strange motions like these
04:26 have led to planetary discoveries before.
04:28 Neptune, for instance, was spotted because Uranus' motion didn't quite agree with
04:33 the predictions of Newtonian gravity.
04:36 But the deflection of its orbit could be explained if it was caused by a pull of an undiscovered
04:42 planet.
04:43 And just like that, we discovered Neptune.
04:48 The year is 2021, and there's all this buzz about Planet Nine again.
04:53 After correcting some old guesses, studies are now leaning towards the idea that this
04:58 mystery world follows an epic loop around the Sun every 7,000 years.
05:03 That is massive news, because it means this planet might be closer than we ever thought,
05:09 making it easier for our telescopes to spot it.
05:12 The paper also suggests there is a whopping 99% chance that the funky orbits of these
05:17 distant objects are all because of this unseen planet, not just some cosmic coincidence.
05:24 The odds of this whole situation being a fluke are down to a 1 in 250 chance, which is much
05:31 better than the 1 in 10,000 chance back in 2016.
05:36 All these optimistic numbers have brought us to where we are today, keeping our hopes
05:41 and working on better equipment to continue the mission of spotting Planet Nine.
05:46 As mentioned earlier, researchers in Hawaii created some kind of treasure map, utilizing
05:51 the Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System to eliminate 78% of its locations.
05:58 This is great news, considering how challenging it is to find a planet-sized needle in a cosmic
06:04 haystack.
06:05 Unfortunately, Planet Nine's presence remains a ghost in the dark outer reaches of our Solar
06:11 System.
06:13 Enthusiasts are still convinced of its existence and believe it is only a matter of time before
06:18 we celebrate the discovery of Earth's new cosmic cousin.
06:22 They're putting their hopes on the Vera C. Rubin Observatory, which is currently under
06:26 construction in Chile and is scheduled to begin science operations in late 2025.
06:33 Over the course of 10 years, this observatory will scan the entire Southern Hemisphere sky
06:38 every few nights with a 27-foot, fast-moving telescope equipped with the largest digital
06:44 camera in the world.
06:46 The idea is to catalog everything in the Solar System, reaching out to and beyond Neptune,
06:52 and tracking the movements of millions of celestial objects, including space junk, asteroids,
06:58 comets, and stars.
06:59 If Planet Nine is indeed out there, this next-generation telescope could be the one to find it.
07:07 The existence of this mysterious planet is far from being universally accepted in the
07:11 scientific community.
07:13 That is simply because Planet Nine isn't the only explanation for the strange phenomenon
07:19 occurring beyond Neptune.
07:21 One theory suggests that a group of distant objects, such as dwarf planets, comets, and
07:26 moons, might be collectively influencing the orbits of the extreme trans-Neptunian objects.
07:33 Others believe that a black hole is behind all this.
07:36 These compressed masses are some of the densest objects in the universe, potentially capable
07:41 of affecting the orbits of other masses, like how this supposed ghost Planet Nine is believed
07:46 to be doing.
07:49 Another bold perspective suggests that our current understanding of the laws of gravity
07:53 is flawed, actually incomplete.
07:57 This theory, known as Modified Newtonian Dynamics, proposes that these distant icy objects exhibit
08:03 strange behavior not due to influence from another planet, but rather because the immense
08:09 gravitational field of the Milky Way is influencing them.
08:13 However, even supporters of this theory acknowledge that it is too early to draw firm conclusions,
08:19 and much more extensive research is still required.
08:24 While we continue our relentless hunt for Planet Nine, some astronomers have taken it
08:29 a step further, suggesting the existence of a hypothetical Planet Ten.
08:35 This world has a mass and size like that of Mars or Earth and is located on the edges
08:40 of the Kuiper Belt.
08:42 But the thing is, if this alleged Planet Ten is indeed as small as scientists believe,
08:47 it might not have enough gravity to clear its orbit of debris.
08:51 And that is pretty similar to what happens with Pluto, being one of the reasons why it
08:55 got into trouble back in 2006.
08:59 So yeah, it's better not to get too excited.
09:01 This supposed Planet Ten might end up classified as another dwarf planet.
09:06 That's it for today, so hey, if you pacified your curiosity, then give the video a like
09:11 and share it with your friends!
09:13 Or if you want more, just click on these videos and stay on the Bright Side!
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