The team noted that more than 1,100 celestial bodies have been found in the outer reaches of the solar system since the mid-1990s. "But it would be the first time to discover a celestial body of this size, which is much larger than Pluto," Mukai said. The researchers set up a theoretical model looking at how the remote area of the solar system would have evolved over the past four billion years. "In coming up with an explanation for the celestial bodies, we thought it would be most natural to assume the existence of a yet unknown planet," Mukai said. "Based on our hypothesis, we calculated how debris moved over the past four billion years. The result matched the actual movement of the celestial bodies we can observe now," he said. He was hopeful about research by Kobe University, the University of Hawaii and Taiwan's National Central University. "We are expecting that the ongoing joint celestial observation project will eventually discover Planet X," Mukai said. Related Links : Irene Klotz's blog: Free Space |
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