Planet Nine Search Could End Once Vera C. Rubin Observatory Opens; Is Quest Really Over?

For almost a decade, scientists have been exploring the outer Solar System for signs of a hypothetical planet, but without success. Experts say that humanity may finally be on the cusp of finding it.

Elusive Hypothetical Planet

Deep in the outskirts of the Solar System, an icy world could be lurking away from the known planet, waiting to be discovered by humanity. Asid from the eight official planets, a ninth world was proposed by the astronomers which they call "Planet Nine."

Also known as Planet X, this Super Earth is thought to have been ejected into the Oort Cloud during the migration of Neptune. It is believed to be a gas giant billions of miles away from the rest of the planets.

The concept of a ninth planet in the Solar System was first proposed by the discoveries of Uranus in 1781 and Neptune in 1846. The discovery of these planets proved that the Solar System was much larger than we once thought, raising the possibility that there are other worlds that are still waiting to be discovered.

But other than Pluto, no planet beyond Neptune or the Kuiper Belt has been discovered since. As scientists mapped more of our celestial neighborhood, it seemed unlikely that they were missing something as massive as a planet.

For many years, scientists have assumed how big Planet Nine is, how far it is located, and where it should be in its orbit around the Sun. If it really exists, it could rewrite humanity's understanding of the origins and evolution of the Solar System.

Ending the Search for Planet Nine

According to astronomer Mike Brown from California Institute of Technology, it is really hard to understand the Solar System without Planet Nine. However, there is no way to be 100% sure it actually exists until we see it. If the elusive world is hiding in the most distant part of the Solar System, we will need a telescope that is powerful enough to detect it.

Scientists believe that we may soon end the search for this elusive planet. This could be made possible by the opening of a state-of-the-art telescope called Vera C. Rubin Observatory, which is currently under construction in Chile and is slated to open next year.

In their most recent study, Brown and fellow astronomer Konstantin Batygin analyzed data from the Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System (Pan-STARRS) at Haleakala Observatory located in Hawaii. From their observations, they confidently concluded that about 78% of the suspected orbital pathway is a probable hiding place for Planet Nine.

Their assumption narrowed down the location of Planet Nine to somewhere in the most distant 22% of its orbital pathway. However, observation tools such as Pan-STARRS are not powerful enough to search this place properly.

Brown and Batygin have been analyzing data from Japan's Subaru Telescope located in Hawaii, as it has a high chance of finding Planet Nine. But if this observatory fails to accomplish its mission, the researchers will seek the help from Vera C. Rubin Observatory. Equipped with the largest digital camera in the world, this ground-based telescope will enable astronomers to peer farther into the Solar System than what was allowed by its predecessors.

Check out more news and information on Planet Nine in Science Times.