Scientists have found that there is low probability of the existence of the mysterious ‘Planet Nine’, a Neptune-mass world that may circle our Sun at a distance of about 64 billion to 225 billion kilometres.
Earlier this year scientists presented evidence for Planet Nine, leaving theorists puzzled over how this planet could end up in such a distant orbit.
“The evidence points to Planet Nine existing, but we can’t explain for certain how it was produced,” said lead author Gongjie li, Harvard-Smithsonian Centre for Astrophysics (CfA).
Planet Nine circles our Sun at a distance of about 64 billion to 225 billion km, or 400-1,500 astronomical units.
This places it far beyond all the other planets in our solar system.
Researchers conducted millions of computer simulations in order to consider three possibilities. The first and most likely involves a passing star that tugs Planet Nine outward.
Such an interaction would not only nudge the planet into a wider orbit but also make that orbit more elliptical.