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BS: 'Ninth planet' may exist in solar system

21 Jan 16 - 04:09 AM (#3767111)
Subject: BS: 'Ninth planet' may exist in solar system
From: Mr Red

Not Pluto or Eris currently only a prediction and dubbed Planet Nine - until it is confirmed by telescope. It may take a while.


21 Jan 16 - 04:25 AM (#3767115)
Subject: RE: BS: 'Ninth planet' may exist in solar system
From: GUEST,#

' "In fact, it would take this new planet between 10,000 and 20,000 years to make just one full orbit around the Sun." '

Gives new meaning to 'dog years'.


21 Jan 16 - 04:57 AM (#3767126)
Subject: RE: BS: 'Ninth planet' may exist in solar system
From: Keith A of Hertford

Nice alignment of five planets visible right now, but it might possibly be six now!


21 Jan 16 - 06:08 AM (#3767139)
Subject: RE: BS: 'Ninth planet' may exist in solar system
From: GUEST,Raggytash

I have to admit to being a bit puzzled. Astronomers have for years had access to a vast array of equipment, looking at things like other galaxies and black holes light years away. How come they have not noticed a huge planet in our own solar system.


21 Jan 16 - 06:31 AM (#3767142)
Subject: RE: BS: 'Ninth planet' may exist in solar system
From: Keith A of Hertford

If it exists it is reckoned to be seven times the distance of Neptune, and moving very slowly.
Most unlikely to be found by accident.


21 Jan 16 - 07:01 AM (#3767147)
Subject: RE: BS: 'Ninth planet' may exist in solar system
From: Dave the Gnome

The 5 planet alignment is supposed to be at it's best at 0645 on my birthday! If planet 9 appears there at the same time it should be named Dave :-)


21 Jan 16 - 07:31 AM (#3767149)
Subject: RE: BS: 'Ninth planet' may exist in solar system
From: Will Fly

I'm happy to call it "Dave" any time.


21 Jan 16 - 07:35 AM (#3767151)
Subject: RE: BS: 'Ninth planet' may exist in solar system
From: GUEST,Raggytash

Hmm what happened to my post. You beat me to it Will. Dave's a good name for a planet. It sounds all nice and friendly.


21 Jan 16 - 07:36 AM (#3767152)
Subject: RE: BS: 'Ninth planet' may exist in solar system
From: GUEST

It will probably be given letters and a number something like W W something or other.


21 Jan 16 - 07:51 AM (#3767155)
Subject: RE: BS: 'Ninth planet' may exist in solar system
From: Keith A of Hertford

When Hershel discovered Uranus, he wanted it called George.


21 Jan 16 - 07:52 AM (#3767156)
Subject: RE: BS: 'Ninth planet' may exist in solar system
From: Keith A of Hertford

When Herschel discovered Uranus, he wanted it called George.


21 Jan 16 - 08:10 AM (#3767158)
Subject: RE: BS: 'Ninth planet' may exist in solar system
From: Dave the Gnome

George sounds better than Uranus and no one would have to correct schoolboy pronunciation followed by giggles :-)


21 Jan 16 - 08:17 AM (#3767161)
Subject: RE: BS: 'Ninth planet' may exist in solar system
From: GUEST,Raggytash

Herschel actually called it the Georgian Star (Georgian Sidus) after George 111 to curry royal favour.


21 Jan 16 - 08:42 AM (#3767169)
Subject: RE: BS: 'Ninth planet' may exist in solar system
From: Dave the Gnome

Royal curry flavour?

:D tG


21 Jan 16 - 08:54 AM (#3767171)
Subject: RE: BS: 'Ninth planet' may exist in solar system
From: GUEST,Raggytash

Have you tried Coronation Chicken?












Bloody awful actually.


21 Jan 16 - 09:29 AM (#3767179)
Subject: RE: BS: 'Ninth planet' may exist in solar system
From: GUEST,Shimrod

How long before some prat demands that we call it 'Bowie'?


21 Jan 16 - 10:14 AM (#3767187)
Subject: RE: BS: 'Ninth planet' may exist in solar system
From: GUEST

If it's that far away and dark, cold, desolate, and hostile to human life;
it could be called Wales or Scotland.
But those names are already in use.


21 Jan 16 - 10:16 AM (#3767188)
Subject: RE: BS: 'Ninth planet' may exist in solar system
From: GUEST

New Wales ?

New Scotland ?


21 Jan 16 - 10:31 AM (#3767192)
Subject: RE: BS: 'Ninth planet' may exist in solar system
From: GUEST

Raggytash, (post 6:08 a.m.) the instruments used for cosmological searches and imaging (as for new galaxies and black holes) are
wonderful, but designed and useful just for that work. They are not useful for searching for "near" objects within the solar system.

What's more, the training, interest, and protocols of
the high-powered astronomers (cosmologists) who use
those instruments don't focus on such objects as the
planets, even a "new planet" like number 9.

Dave Oesterreich


21 Jan 16 - 01:20 PM (#3767231)
Subject: RE: BS: 'Ninth planet' may exist in solar system
From: Mrrzy

Whoever discovered it still gets to name it, right?


21 Jan 16 - 01:23 PM (#3767233)
Subject: RE: BS: 'Ninth planet' may exist in solar system
From: Donuel

Planet Baraka.


21 Jan 16 - 04:00 PM (#3767256)
Subject: RE: BS: 'Ninth planet' may exist in solar system
From: GUEST,Raggytash

Dave O,

Thank you for the explanation. I still find it a little bizarre though!


21 Jan 16 - 04:15 PM (#3767257)
Subject: RE: BS: 'Ninth planet' may exist in solar system
From: GUEST,Dave

The evidence for this planet is found in a clustering of the perihelion positions of the six most distant solar system objects in a particular direction on the sky, and the hypothesis is that they are counterbalanced by a massive planet whose perihelion position lies in the opposite direction. However this direction not very well constrained, and as far as I can see there is no evidence as to where this planet might be on this supposed orbit. So when they say they have a vague idea of where it might be, they do mean vague, and it could be anywhere in about half of the sky. Large telescopes have small fields of view, even survey telescopes which are designed for searches have a field of view of about 40 square degrees. Thats about one thousandth of the area of the sky.

There are some smaller facilities with fisheye lenses and things which can survey the bright stars in the sky over a wider area. So lets work out how bright this thing will be.

Lets assume it is like Neptune in terms of size and albedo (the fraction of light it reflects). Planets are only seen in reflected sunlight, they do not shine by themselves. It seems from the paper that the distance from the sun is likely to be about 10 times that of Neptune but its also 10 times as far from us as Neptune. And inverse square law being what it is, that means its a factor of 10 to the power 4, or 10,000, fainter than Neptune.

Astronomers work in magnitudes, Neptune is an 8th magnitude object (not quite visible to the naked eye), this new planet will be 18th magnitude.

This is well within the capability of even modest sized survey telescopes, but not one of these fisheye lens things. The main reason being that there are loads and loads of stars in the sky of this magnitude. Technically the fisheye things will be confusion limited.

Also, how do you know that you have seen it? You have to see it move is how, but it moves pretty slowly, it will be moving at a hundredth of the apparent rate of motion of Neptune (a factor of 10 because of Kepler's laws, and another factor 10 because of projection). So you have to look at the same patch of sky repeatedly for things that move very slowly.

If it exists the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope
will be the thing to find it, but thats not ready yet.

But I have my doubts. Six is not a huge number of orbits to base such a supposition on, and the probability they work out for this alignment to happen by chance is not very meaningful because they are working it out for a configuration that they have already observed (a posteriori statistics). I wonder whether Dr. Mike Brown, well known demoter of Pluto, has a funding review due.


21 Jan 16 - 07:47 PM (#3767300)
Subject: RE: BS: 'Ninth planet' may exist in solar system
From: GUEST

Add to that that a 20000 year orbit isn't far off the 25000 or so year shift in the background stars (from here) because of the precession of the equinoxes. Planet's etymology is wanderer; and it doesn't wander much. So it could actually be hidden in plain sight (with a big telescope).


21 Jan 16 - 08:53 PM (#3767310)
Subject: RE: BS: 'Ninth planet' may exist in solar system
From: olddude

It's mine, it's all mine, my planet I say. It's a free planet... Beer, cigs, music, weed.. It's got no political parties... It has puppies and kittens.. It's mine but I will share


21 Jan 16 - 10:08 PM (#3767313)
Subject: RE: BS: 'Ninth planet' may exist in solar system
From: GUEST,leeneia

what, no chocolate?


21 Jan 16 - 11:08 PM (#3767315)
Subject: RE: BS: 'Ninth planet' may exist in solar system
From: olddude

And chocolate everywhere


21 Jan 16 - 11:10 PM (#3767316)
Subject: RE: BS: 'Ninth planet' may exist in solar system
From: olddude

Jello doesn't exist there but pizza does and banjo players are welcome also.


21 Jan 16 - 11:14 PM (#3767317)
Subject: RE: BS: 'Ninth planet' may exist in solar system
From: olddude

Only bad part is it's a heck of a long drive to get there


21 Jan 16 - 11:15 PM (#3767318)
Subject: RE: BS: 'Ninth planet' may exist in solar system
From: GUEST

would you trust GPS for directions ?


22 Jan 16 - 12:10 AM (#3767321)
Subject: RE: BS: 'Ninth planet' may exist in solar system
From: olddude

Naw but I have all the turns written down.. Elvis has a house there. He is doing fine, he faked the passing away part so he could take an extended vacation. For him he has only been away for a day or so cause of the long drive


22 Jan 16 - 04:04 AM (#3767332)
Subject: RE: BS: 'Ninth planet' may exist in solar system
From: Mr Red

has it got central heating?
Is the power source nuclear?
Hmmm. I'll stay in the UK - it is rather mild for the time of year here.


22 Jan 16 - 08:39 AM (#3767361)
Subject: RE: BS: 'Ninth planet' may exist in solar system
From: Rapparee

Travel at a constant 1G and Pluto is about a week away, including flip-over. Y'all are bright and can do math and I'm old and learned old math -- so how long to get to this newbie?


22 Jan 16 - 08:56 AM (#3767367)
Subject: RE: BS: 'Ninth planet' may exist in solar system
From: GUEST

train fares would be astronomical


22 Jan 16 - 09:03 AM (#3767369)
Subject: RE: BS: 'Ninth planet' may exist in solar system
From: Keith A of Hertford

It is about seven times further out than Pluto.


22 Jan 16 - 09:13 AM (#3767374)
Subject: RE: BS: 'Ninth planet' may exist in solar system
From: MGM·Lion

Then why don't they call it Goofy?

≈M≈


22 Jan 16 - 09:42 AM (#3767384)
Subject: RE: BS: 'Ninth planet' may exist in solar system
From: frogprince

If it's that far out, call it Palin.


22 Jan 16 - 09:46 AM (#3767385)
Subject: RE: BS: 'Ninth planet' may exist in solar system
From: Keith A of Hertford

Pluto the dog was named after the planet. (now KBO)


22 Jan 16 - 11:17 AM (#3767397)
Subject: RE: BS: 'Ninth planet' may exist in solar system
From: Stu

"How long before some prat demands that we call it 'Bowie'?"

Hmmm.

'Bowie".

I like that. That could work. Jolly fine suggestion Shim me lad!


22 Jan 16 - 11:50 AM (#3767405)
Subject: RE: BS: 'Ninth planet' may exist in solar system
From: olddude

It's called Dans excellent planet. Did I mention lots of fish, but they all look like trumps face sadly


22 Jan 16 - 05:47 PM (#3767447)
Subject: RE: BS: 'Ninth planet' may exist in solar system
From: Donuel

The predicted orbit of this undiscovered planet is highly elliptical and could give us clues as to where to look. It is at a 30 degree offset from the plane of the inner 5 planets. It is as far as 100 billion miles and as close as 20 billion miles and has a mass of about 8 to 10 Earth masses.

A 'year' for this possible ice rock planet could be about 20,000 years or longer. The only certainty now is that we have a lot more to learn about interactions and planet sized objects in the Kuiper Belt

Dave don't we have other wide field telescopes today that have a chance over time of finding this faint thing but the LSST's 32,000 mega pixel camera is 100 times better in the short run?


22 Jan 16 - 05:56 PM (#3767450)
Subject: RE: BS: 'Ninth planet' may exist in solar system
From: GUEST,Musket

How long before some prat.. Oh, Shimrod already did.

Nice to see a cluster or other being named Starman. Presumably jamming good with weird black holes.

This planet has been hinted at for a while now. Wobbles where not expected and all that. Not to mention that we have found a few planets broken free of any orbits of sky star and are wandering in the true sense. (Greek link, as planets were observed to be doing.). Their distances are in light years but just be bloody huge if we can detect them but not this.

All fascinating stuff. I'd call it Dave too. Possibly in homage to my Co Messiah with gnomish attributes. Probably getting a mental image of my brother Dave (still haven't worked out which planet he orbits) or to be honest, BOWIE!!!👻👻👻


22 Jan 16 - 07:35 PM (#3767459)
Subject: RE: BS: 'Ninth planet' may exist in solar system
From: GUEST,punkfolkrocker

nah...a planet... even one 10 times bigger than Earth.. is still far too small to merit the name "Bowie" !!!

A mega colossal super heated burning bright star, or an entire galaxy... that would be the least required.... 😎

Though definitely worth considering calling this new planet "Lemmy"...


22 Jan 16 - 08:02 PM (#3767463)
Subject: RE: BS: 'Ninth planet' may exist in solar system
From: Steve Shaw

The biggest joke in our house in the last 40 years has been "Shall we just go outside and have a good look at Uranus?" Mind you, talking about jokes, I'm nearly dead from laughing, having just got back from Hammersmith Apollo where we saw Billy Connolly. I think the new planet should be called Big Bill. I think my favourite bit from the show was when he said that he doesn't use the word "cunt" much, tending to reserve it for the guy at the airport who won't use the travelator but who tries to keep up by walking fast next to it. :-)


22 Jan 16 - 09:45 PM (#3767470)
Subject: RE: BS: 'Ninth planet' may exist in solar system
From: skarpi

In the sumerians tafleds it is called Nemesis , also there is knowing of a planet that goes it s orbit 36 thousamd years , not long ago a telescope in chile toldabout two opjects that are entering our solarsystem , now that is not in the media , this nine numer planet is 10 times the mass of our earth ,if this planet goes around our sun and goes by earth then god jelp us because that planet have strong gravity hope am wrong


23 Jan 16 - 12:17 AM (#3767479)
Subject: RE: BS: 'Ninth planet' may exist in solar system
From: MGM·Lion

Mention of Mr Connolly leads to thought that it might be called The Big Yin.

≈M≈


23 Jan 16 - 03:16 AM (#3767496)
Subject: RE: BS: 'Ninth planet' may exist in solar system
From: Mr Red

If it's that far out, call it Palin. LOL

Can't Trump that!


23 Jan 16 - 04:11 AM (#3767503)
Subject: RE: BS: 'Ninth planet' may exist in solar system
From: GUEST,Musket

USS Andrex

Flies round Uranus wiping out Klingons.

(Sorry, got bored waiting for someone to say it.)


23 Jan 16 - 04:55 AM (#3767510)
Subject: RE: BS: 'Ninth planet' may exist in solar system
From: TheSnail

Since it's beyond Pluto how about Bowowie?


23 Jan 16 - 05:09 AM (#3767512)
Subject: RE: BS: 'Ninth planet' may exist in solar system
From: GUEST,Dave

Donuel, there is also Pan-Starrs.


23 Jan 16 - 05:27 AM (#3767514)
Subject: RE: BS: 'Ninth planet' may exist in solar system
From: Keith A of Hertford

Sitchin's 1976 book the Twelfth Planet concluded, based on his study ancient Sumerian texts, that an additional planet exists at the edge of the solar system, which the ancient civilisation called "Nibiru".

So that's already sorted.


23 Jan 16 - 01:33 PM (#3767585)
Subject: RE: BS: 'Ninth planet' may exist in solar system
From: Donuel

There is a suggestion that its orbit is at a 30 degree tilt to our inner planets. The elliptical orbit may be 100 billion miles from the sun and as close as 20 billion miles.

At 8 to 10 Earth masses at such a distance makes this target very dim.
Also a telescope with a wide field of view with high power, the LSST, with 32,000 megapixel camera is still under construction.


23 Jan 16 - 06:10 PM (#3767628)
Subject: RE: BS: 'Ninth planet' may exist in solar system
From: GUEST

"In the sumerians tafleds it is called Nemesis" - clever of them to use a Greek word a couple of thousand years before anyone had heard of the Greeks.

It's obvious that anything that big, no matter how far away, is bound to be aimed right at us, now. The fact that Earth has been around four and a half billion years without it troubling us is irrelevant.


24 Jan 16 - 01:39 AM (#3767653)
Subject: RE: BS: 'Ninth planet' may exist in solar system
From: MGM·Lion

Never mind what the bloody Sumerians might have called it -- that doesn't "sort" anything IMO, Keith & Guest, unless anyone around here just happens to be fluent in Ancient Sumerian [☝☝-up if you are!]. Otherwise it's up to us, now, today, to find a name for this celestial manifestation that has at length insinuated itself into our consciousness.

I think "Planet MGM·Lion" has just the right sort of ring to it. Are you listening, Mr Astronomer-Royal, or NASA, or UN, or Whoever·the·Hell's job it is to choose the name anyhow...?

≈M≈


24 Jan 16 - 04:01 AM (#3767657)
Subject: RE: BS: 'Ninth planet' may exist in solar system
From: GUEST,Dave

It would be the International Astronomical Union. But they are unlikely to do anything about it until someone confirms and sees it.


24 Jan 16 - 04:04 AM (#3767658)
Subject: RE: BS: 'Ninth planet' may exist in solar system
From: GUEST,Dave

By the way Sitchin was a fruitcake of the von Daniken/Velikovsky variety. Not taken seriously by astronomers nor by scholars of Sumeria.


24 Jan 16 - 04:37 AM (#3767659)
Subject: RE: BS: 'Ninth planet' may exist in solar system
From: MGM·Lion

Well, I like fruitcake. And must say that those three that you name, Dave, Sitchin, Velikovsky, von Däniken, are all a bundle of fun, full of plums and currants. I remember some of the analogues van D found for the film of Chariots Of The Gods, like the astronaut in his capsule and the god [whichever it was] bundled up in that sort of sphere, were quite impressive when juxtaposed.

Heigh-ho. Sad that facts are never really as interesting as speculative fantasies, innit!

≈M≈


24 Jan 16 - 05:02 AM (#3767662)
Subject: RE: BS: 'Ninth planet' may exist in solar system
From: Keith A of Hertford

My last post was not meant to be taken seriously, but no need for Guest to misquote it.

Some of Velikovsky's predictions proved accurate.


24 Jan 16 - 09:29 AM (#3767703)
Subject: RE: BS: 'Ninth planet' may exist in solar system
From: GUEST,Musket

And many didn't.

Funny thing, superstition.

Of course, everything reverts to probability in the end. Don't worry Keith, I doubt anybody took your post seriously. Why start now me old duck?

If it is found, it could be called all sorts of things. Planet MGM Lion has the advantage of antiquity and most of the world being oblivious to its existence I suppose.


24 Jan 16 - 10:10 AM (#3767719)
Subject: RE: BS: 'Ninth planet' may exist in solar system
From: GUEST,#

Name it something that rhymes with orange. I've always wanted to know.


24 Jan 16 - 11:31 AM (#3767742)
Subject: RE: BS: 'Ninth planet' may exist in solar system
From: GUEST

What do you think the guys on dark planet 9 might be debating to name us
if they are speculating on the existence of our planet so far away, so near to the sun ?


24 Jan 16 - 02:53 PM (#3767792)
Subject: RE: BS: 'Ninth planet' may exist in solar system
From: GUEST

They'll probably debate very slowly, being at such a low temperature (unless it's huge and rocky and has a nuclear internal heat source like we do). And during the course of the debate (in which they name the planet Askmearse, which is Nonoplanetian for hell), human civilisation will have risen and fallen to extinction, and the speculation will be as fatuous as most speculation is.


24 Jan 16 - 05:55 PM (#3767820)
Subject: RE: BS: 'Ninth planet' may exist in solar system
From: Donuel

Thanks Dave, STARRS is really something but had flown under my radar despite my searches. I hope it cost less than a Mc Donald's since it used to be the search for Earth crossing asteroids had almost no budget but could be built and staffed for Mickey D money.


25 Jan 16 - 03:38 AM (#3767897)
Subject: RE: BS: 'Ninth planet' may exist in solar system
From: Mr Red

Name it something that rhymes with orange. I've always wanted to know. Ah! That would point in the direction of Wales, "look see". Abergavenny "isn't it?". That there mountain they calls the Bloringe, boyo.
And how can we ignore Mr Goringe and family?


25 Jan 16 - 05:07 AM (#3767909)
Subject: RE: BS: 'Ninth planet' may exist in solar system
From: GUEST,Dave

Donuel, I think Pan-Starrs got capital funding indirectly from the US Department of Defense, who were worried that they weren't going to be allowed to zap Russians any more and thought asteroids might be a good alternative. But I must say that its all gone quiet over there. There have been rumours of technical problems with the telescopes and/or cameras, and their web pages still say that the science mission began in May 2010, and that the second telescope is scheduled to come into operation in 2013. They found a comet recently, and there are a few papers on asteroids and transients, but not as much as you would think.


25 Jan 16 - 05:30 AM (#3767913)
Subject: RE: BS: 'Ninth planet' may exist in solar system
From: Keith A of Hertford

I had a walk at 6.30 this morning to see the alignment.
Not a spectacle, but good to see the four planets all in a row and to know that Mercury was there too.
Strangely mild again for a clear January pre-dawn.


25 Jan 16 - 08:55 AM (#3767953)
Subject: RE: BS: 'Ninth planet' may exist in solar system
From: GUEST,Musket

I was awake so tried as well, as our balcony (I'm on holiday) faces nicely. (An app for my iPhone shows me where to look for things too, rather good app called Skyview.)

Bloody mountains in the way.

Back to the drawing board.


25 Jan 16 - 10:27 PM (#3768129)
Subject: RE: BS: 'Ninth planet' may exist in solar system
From: GUEST,leeneia

Azurite

https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=azurite%20images