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The Question
(Submitted August 05, 1997)
I am having trouble finding information regarding Planet X. Could you
please advise of an Internet site or an e-mail address that I could
inquire regarding this fascinating subject.
The Answer
I can understand why you had troubles finding Internet sites about
Planet X ! It seems to be a popular name for a number of non-astronomy
topics (comic books among them !).
I did eventually find, however, a very interesting article at
http://seds.lpl.arizona.edu/nineplanets/nineplanets/hypo.html
by Paul Schlyter. The section entitled "Planet X" discusses at
some length the search for a trans-Neptunian planet, the discovery of
Pluto, and the subsequent continued search for a tenth planet. It
discusses the use of Halley's Comet, Voyager 2, Pioneer 10 and Pioneer
11 to search for any deflections from unknown gravity sources. The
article concludes that although a trans-Plutonian planet has never
been found (and likely doesn't exist), the search has instead yielded
a new class of asteroids at the outer reaches of the solar system.
I hope this helps.
Jim Lochner
for Ask an Astrophysicist
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