Discussion Undiscovered planet beyond Neptune (to be confirmed within next 3 years)

[FelixDeCat]

Pluto looks delicious tho!



View attachment 120285

And also happens to be a planet. A dwarf planet.

 

[igor_kavinski]

int x = 8==D?~ (8^0) : 69;

Let me guess: 69 to you is what 42 is for everyone else?

 

[marees]

when the Vera C. Rubin Observatory goes online sometime in 2025, one of its missions will be providing unprecedented clarity into what lurks beyond Neptune, potentially revealing 10 times as many Solar System objects as are known today.

For centuries, astronomers have been shining a flashlight, hoping to stumble upon a cosmic mystery in the darkness. Hopefully when the Vera C. Rubin Observatory finally arrives, it’ll be like turning on a light switch.

An Astronomer Has Found the Hardest Evidence Yet for the Elusive Planet Nine

We could be getting closer to solving the universe’s biggest mystery.

www.popularmechanics.com

 

[GodisanAtheist]

when the Vera C. Rubin Observatory goes online sometime in 2025, one of its missions will be providing unprecedented clarity into what lurks beyond Neptune, potentially revealing 10 times as many Solar System objects as are known today.

For centuries, astronomers have been shining a flashlight, hoping to stumble upon a cosmic mystery in the darkness. Hopefully when the Vera C. Rubin Observatory finally arrives, it’ll be like turning on a light switch.

An Astronomer Has Found the Hardest Evidence Yet for the Elusive Planet Nine

We could be getting closer to solving the universe’s biggest mystery.

www.popularmechanics.com

-Whoa the subheader on that link is really overselling Planet X IX...

 

[deadlyapp]

Do you have stock in this observatory or something? Jesus you spam the exact same message in near every post.

 

[marees]

Do you have stock in this observatory or something? Jesus you spam the exact same message in near every post.

Just hyped for planet !X

& yes the LSST Observatory will definitely confirm the existence (or absence) of planet nine

So expect more posts on this line in future

 

[Ken g6]

Pluto is a planet, dammit.

Obligatory XKCD:

Personally, I think planet should be defined as an object with enough mass to retain an atmosphere not orbiting an object that is not a star. (Where "orbiting" an object means the combined center of mass is entirely inside that object. If two objects of similar mass orbit each other you can have a double planet.) This would mean Mercury is not a planet either.

 

[FelixDeCat]

The thread title makes me think of

Star Trek: Undiscovered Country

 

[marees]

The observatory will be a game-changer in the hunt for Planet 9, agrees Scott Sheppard of Carnegie Science, one of the researchers who first suggested that a big planet could be the culprit that was messing with the orbits of some small solar system bodies.

"Vera Rubin is our best bet to find it in the next few years, probably," says Sheppard. "It's going to turn over more rocks than anyone has turned over before."

If Planet 9 is real, this observatory has around a 70 to 80 percent chance of finding it, he estimates, adding that it's not a sure thing because there are so many uncertainties.

"We don't know the size of the planet. We don't know the reflectivity of the planet. We don't know the distance of the planet," says Sheppard. "Those three things will determine how bright this planet actually is."

If Planet 9 is on the smaller side, dark, and really far away, he explains, "it's going to be on the edge of Vera Rubin detection, and Vera Rubin may not find it."

But even if it doesn't spot Planet 9 directly, the Rubin Observatory might find some more minor planets, ones whose orbits might be affected by Planet 9. And that could provide additional evidence that such a giant planet really exists.

Up until now, says Sheppard, astronomers haven't found enough small, far-off minor planets with orbits that can be analyzed for evidence of Planet 9's gravitational influence, so he thinks the existence of this planet is an open question.

"The statistics just aren't there to definitively say yes or no," he says.

https://www.npr.org/2025/04/09/nx-s1-5347688/planet-nine-vera-rubin-observatory

 

[igor_kavinski]

Interesting story: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/if-planet-nine-exists-well-find-it-soon/

 

[igor_kavinski]

At an estimated distance of 700 AU, I don't see why they call it a planet. In fact, I think it's silly of them to want to include bodies beyond Neptune as part of the solar system. There could be thousands of rocky planets circling the sun, in almost pitch darkness. What would be the point of getting to know about them?

 

[marees]

At an estimated distance of 700 AU, I don't see why they call it a planet. In fact, I think it's silly of them to want to include bodies beyond Neptune as part of the solar system. There could be thousands of rocky planets circling the sun, in almost pitch darkness. What would be the point of getting to know about them?

The Kuiper belt, whose population and structure are only vaguely known, stands to be greatly illuminated by Rubin. After nearly four decades of searching, astronomers have found about 4,000 objects out there. “With Rubin, it should go up to about 40,000,”

 

[igor_kavinski]

Astronomers love working and free coffee

 

[[DHT]Osiris]

At an estimated distance of 700 AU, I don't see why they call it a planet. In fact, I think it's silly of them to want to include bodies beyond Neptune as part of the solar system. There could be thousands of rocky planets circling the sun, in almost pitch darkness. What would be the point of getting to know about them?

If it orbits our star, it's part of our solar system, that's the actual definition of a solar system. If it fits the definition of a planet it should be called one (and vice versa).

 

[igor_kavinski]

If it orbits our star, it's part of our solar system, that's the actual definition of a solar system. If it fits the definition of a planet it should be called one (and vice versa).

Technically yes but at something like 700AU, is the Sun's gravity strong enough to matter? Maybe the unknown planet is just barely orbiting the Sun because what else it gonna do? It doesn't have thrusters to fly away or into the Sun. The definition should be revised with regards to the AU distance where the Sun's gravitational pull is strong enough to keep the planet from ever breaking free. If planet 9 is indeed exerting a significant influence on the Kuiper Belt objects, then that's kinda laughing in the face of the Sun and going, "Haha! You so weak that I'm messing with the objects orbiting YOU!".

 

[[DHT]Osiris]

Technically yes but at something like 700AU, is the Sun's gravity strong enough to matter? Maybe the unknown planet is just barely orbiting the Sun because what else it gonna do? It doesn't have thrusters to fly away or into the Sun. The definition should be revised with regards to the AU distance where the Sun's gravitational pull is strong enough to keep the planet from ever breaking free. If planet 9 is indeed exerting a significant influence on the Kuiper Belt objects, then that's kinda laughing in the face of the Sun and going, "Haha! You so weak that I'm messing with the objects orbiting YOU!".

Of course it is, if it's still in orbit the sun's gravity is very actually strong enough to matter, just like every other object orbiting our star.

 

[skyking]

ϖ = nutsack

so, maybe name it teabag?

 

[marees]

Anyone know about the Small Planet Radius Gap ?

This is the first time, that I am hearing about it...

Small planet radius gap - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org