Planet Nine Candidate Identified by International Team

Astronomers, including an international team led from Taiwan's National Tsing Hua University, have identified a promising candidate for the hypothesized Planet Nine in decades-old infrared data from missions such as IRAS and AKARI. This potential planet, whose estimated mass could rival Neptune, was detected as a faint, slow-moving object that aligns with predictions used to explain the unusual clustering of trans-Neptunian objects in the Kuiper Belt. While the candidate shows several characteristics expected for Planet Nine, researchers emphasize that additional observations and analysis are critical to confirm its planetary nature and rule out other explanations or data artifacts. If confirmed, the discovery would help explain the odd orbits of distant solar system bodies and suggest our planetary system is more typical compared to others in the galaxy. The announcement has renewed excitement and debate in the scientific community, although some experts remain cautious due to prior false alarms. The search for Planet Nine continues to intrigue astronomers worldwide.