Astronomers spot possible Planet Nine in data spanning 23 years

What just happened? A newly identified object spotted in two infrared sky surveys may be the most substantial evidence for the elusive Planet Nine – a potential Neptune-sized world orbiting hundreds of times farther from the sun than Earth. Its unusual orbit and surprising mass raise questions about its origin, but astronomers will need follow-up observations with powerful telescopes to track its motion and confirm its identity. Astronomers have long speculated about an unseen planet lurking in the solar system's outer edge. This hypothetical world, dubbed Planet Nine, could explain the unusual clustering of distant objects in the Kuiper Belt – a region beyond Neptune filled with icy bodies like Pluto. A new study led by astronomer Terry Long Phan of National Tsing Hua University in Taiwan may have uncovered the most compelling candidate yet, based on infrared data collected more than two decades apart. Michael Brown and Konstantin Batygin of Caltech first proposed Planet Nine in 201 ... Read full article.