Their calculations suggest it takes a highly elongated orbit stretching way out past Pluto. Using sophisticated mathematics, they have predicted that "Planet 9" could be a gas giant about the same size as Neptune and with a mass 10 times that of Earth. In recent years, Caltech researchers have come close to pinning down a hidden ninth planet. Using Albert Enstein's theory of gravity instead of Isaac Newton's version explained the strange orbital movements. Mercury's orbit, he added, had mystified astronomers for years. Mysterious hidden planets aren't always the explanation for these strange orbital patterns, however. "Various other "Planet X" hypotheses have pretty much the same basis -unexpected orbital characteristics of known planets," Howarth explained. This weird orbit was being thrown off by another, then unknown, planet: Neptune. But then, Uranus' orbital motion turned out to be not quite as predicted," Howarth said. "We've known of the planets out to Saturn since antiquity, of course-then William Herschel discovered Uranus, in the course of a systematic survey of the heavens. Astronomers around the world really are searching for a "Planet X." As-yet-unseen planets may by hiding in our solar system-but don't worry, they're not headed for Earth. This wacky conspiracy has become tangled with some real science. ![]() Planet 9 is a hypothesized ninth planet in our solar system. A "Planet X" Might Actually ExistĪn artist's concept of Planet 9, sometimes referred to as Planet X. "Its gravity would be throwing all the other planetary orbits out," Ian Howarth, a professor of astronomy at University College London, explained to Newsweek. If a massive planet is careering towards Earth, it should be messing up the alignment of other planets on the way. It's why the planets orbit the sun, and moons orbit some of the planets. Gravity drives our solar system's orbital gymnastics. Large objects like planets wield some serious gravity. There are many reasons to doubt this conspiracy theory, with the most obvious, perhaps, being a lack of astronomical evidence for this supposed behemoth. He has predicted the end of the world before, even writing a book titled Planet X - The 2017 Arrival. It's basically astrology, loosely inspired by the Bible.Īpril 23 is the latest date to fit Meade's astronomical paradigm. Meade does some biblical gymnastics to link characters from the book of Revelation to various celestial alignments and a devastating but as-yet invisible incoming planet. Cushioned in a heady swaddle of mathematics, biblical prophecy and astronomy, the concept would make a great science fiction tale. If conspiracy theorists are to be believed, our planet could be under threat from a mysterious unknown "Planet X" JPL/NASAįirst predicted back in 1995 by Nancy Lieder, founder of a website that allegedly relays alien messages to earthlings, the tale is now largely peddled by "Christian numerologist" David Meade. ![]() ![]() This image depicts planet Earth in great detail.
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