Is there a hidden planet in our Solar System?

Your support makes all the difference. Scientists say they have found new evidence that there is a hidden planet in our solar system. For years, some astronomers have been suggesting that unusual behaviour on the edge of our solar system is best explained by another, undiscovered planet.

Is a 'treasure map' hiding in our Solar System?

Some astronomers believe an undiscovered planet, some six times the mass of Earth, is lurking in the outer reaches of the solar system. A new study's "treasure map" suggests that a planet several times more massive than Earth could be hiding in our solar system, camouflaged by the bright strip of stars that make up the Milky Way.

Is a planet hiding in the Solar System's backcountry?

Brown and Batygin originally announced their prediction of Planet Nine in 2016, but the pair is hardly the first to suggest that an undiscovered world is hiding in the solar system’s backcountry. For more than a century, astronomers have mused about such a planet, erroneously believing that something hefty was perturbing Neptune’s orbit.

What if a planet was captured from outside the Solar System?

Planet Nine could have been captured from outside the Solar System during a close encounter between the Sun and another star. If a planet was in a distant orbit around this star, three-body interactions during the encounter could alter the planet's path, leaving it in a stable orbit around the Sun.

Could planet 9 be hidden in the sky?

Unfortunately the actual position of the possible planet in its orbit is unconstrained. That means it could be anywhere along its path around the sun, which leaves a large fraction of the sky still potentially hiding Planet Nine. Astronomers have combed through a variety of past sky surveys looking for this history-making discovery.

Does the Solar System have a new ninth planet?

The solar system appears to have a new ninth planet. Today, two scientists announced evidence that a body nearly the size of Neptune—but as yet unseen—orbits the sun every 15,000 years. During the solar system's infancy 4.5 billion years ago, they say, the giant planet was knocked out of the planet-forming region near the sun.