Mike Brown – Astronomy Now

The case for, and against, the still-unseen Planet 9

16 February 2021 Astronomy Now

New research questions the need for a “Planet 9” to explain clustered outer solar system orbits; proponents beg to differ.

Curious tilt of the Sun traced to undiscovered Planet Nine

20 October 2016 Astronomy Now

Planet Nine — the undiscovered planet at the edge of the solar system that was predicted by the work of Caltech’s Konstantin Batygin and Mike Brown in January 2016 — appears to be responsible for the unusual tilt of the Sun. The large and distant planet may be adding a wobble to the solar system, giving the appearance that the Sun is tilted slightly.

Extreme trans-Neptunian objects lead the way to Planet Nine

13 June 2016 Astronomy Now

In the race towards the discovery of Planet Nine, scientists from around the world strive to calculate its orbit using the tracks left by the small bodies that move well beyond Neptune. Now, astronomers from Spain and Cambridge University have confirmed that the orbits of the six extreme trans-Neptunian objects that served as a reference to announce the existence of Planet Nine are not as stable as originally thought.

2007 OR10: the largest unnamed world in the solar system

12 May 2016 Astronomy Now

By combining data from two space observatories, astronomers have revealed something surprising: a 955-mile-wide dwarf planet named 2007 OR₁₀ is significantly larger than previously thought. Although its 547-year-long elliptical orbit brings it nearly as close to the Sun as Neptune, 2007 OR₁₀ is currently twice as far from the Sun as Pluto.

Researchers home in on likely whereabouts of Planet Nine

27 February 2016 Astronomy Now

Using observations from NASA’s Cassini spacecraft, a team of French astronomers from the Institut de mécanique céleste et de calcul des éphémérides, and the laboratory GeoAzur have been able to specify the possible positions of a ninth planet in the Solar System.