New planet?
17There's been a few reports today about a possible new planet discovered in our solar system. It's supposedly about 5-10 times the mass of earth, is super icy, has an atmosphere of Hydrogen and Helium.
Researchers are saying they haven't seen it before because it's way out there and for us to see it, sunlight would have to travel all the way out there and bounce back.
"Objects get very faint very fast," says Sheppard. "If you do the math, if you move something twice as far away from the sun, it gets 16 times fainter." (Sheppard is one of the researchers who suggested it could be a planet).
It's estimated orbit around the sun is between 10,000-20,000 years. They're nicknaming the planet Biden.
NPR's coverage
Washington Post's coverage
Science Magazine's coverage
NY Times coverage
Time's Coverage
Huffpost's coverage
- 11 comments, 10 replies
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Planet 9 From Outer Space?
This is so cool!! Just nobody tell Neil deGrasse Tyson.
Gah!
My vacation home was discovered.
@FroodyFrog I thought that was your birth home. :P
i call dibs on naming it.
@carl669 I've already named it Porn. So that every time they go to explore it, NASA will have to say they are looking at porn.
@jaremelz i like the way you think.
@jaremelz ugh didn't we learn our lesson with Uranus
@Lotsofgoats Apparently not, I'd suggest we could figure out why if everyone just puts their heads together, but no.
Just no.
@jaremelz You should run for president.
@Lotsofgoats That's why astronomers changed its name!
@carl669 Maybe when it is used enough meh will sell it - yah know like a fuku bonus
Quick take all of the natural resources then destroy it and make it a casino!
Space pirates. Put in my two cents.
My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nine......Burgers. Got it.
Pluto is gonna be plenty pissed about this.
@pitamuffin Can you blame Pluto? Okay - it's a bit far out there, in an eccentric orbit. But it was really all about size. Too small, so it got demoted to the minor league of planetoids.. And then along comes the newbie, even farther out and on a eccentric orbit. But it is big, so it gets counted even though no one has actually seen it.
And what about Charon and the other three former moons of Pluto? They aren't even proper moons any more - just rocks orbiting a bigger rock. That has got to hurt.
I feel major déjà vu.
@DrunkCat Astronomers. Oh, sure, they talk a good planet ...
They should name it!
Exanaplanetooch [1969 script]
Exanaplanetooch
A planet in another galaxy
Exanaplanetooch
A place where all the people look like me
A planet where the air is pure
The river waters crystal bright
The sky is green
And in the night
Twelve golden moons
Provide the light
The buildings in the cities
Shaped like hills
Made of black and green
And blue and yellow glass
With rivers running through them
Crystal bright
Swim in the water
Drink from the rivers
Total beauty, total health
Every man's an artist and a scientist-philosopher
No government and no police
No wars, no crime, no hate
Just happiness and love
Fulfillment of each man's potential
And ambition
With ever-widening horizons
Exanaplanetooch
A planet in another galaxy
Exanaplanetooch
Would you like to go back with me
This doctor knew about this planet almost 4 years ago!
Hey, I'm on planet 9 and I'm wondering if you ship here? I'll pay extra!