Astronomers Announce Evidence That Our Solar System Has Nine Planets Once Again
New Candidate for Planet Nine
Astronomers analysing old infrared sky survey data may have found *a faint, slow-moving object* far beyond Neptune that could be a previously unknown ninth planet in our solar system. The object’s motion over 23 years hints at a very distant orbit consistent with a massive body rather than a static background source.
How It Was Detected
Researchers from National Central University in Taiwan compared infrared images from NASA’s Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS) from 1983 with Japan’s AKARI mission data from 2006. They identified a source that appears to shift slowly, suggesting it could orbit the Sun at extreme distances—roughly 500 – 700 astronomical units (AU).
If It Is a Planet
Estimates suggest this object could be similar to 'ice giants' like Uranus or Neptune, with a mass "7–17 × Earth’s mass" and very cold temperatures. Such characteristics explain why it’s hard to spot in visible light but detectable in infrared.
Link to Kuiper Belt Anomalies
The discovery supports long-standing theories that a distant planet influences the orbits of Kuiper Belt Objects (KBOs) — icy bodies whose irregular paths hint at gravitational tug from a massive unseen object.
Next Steps
The findings are "preliminary" and based on only two data points decades apart. Astronomers emphasize that "follow-up observations with modern telescopes" are needed to confirm whether it’s truly a planet and not another type of object.
In short: researchers may have uncovered "rare observational evidence" of a Planet Nine candidate using archival infrared surveys, but further study is required to verify its nature and orbit.
