The search for the ninth planet of the solar system is proposed to attract the probe New Horizons

The scientific community a few weeks ago was excited by the news of the possible existence of a ninth planet in the solar system. We are talking about a planet far from the Sun much further than Pluto, and many times larger than this planetoid. True, so far there is no 100% confidence of scientists in the existence of this planet, although its presence beyond the orbit of Pluto is predicted by mathematical calculations .

For searches and further study of this planet (provided that it really exists), scientists suggest using the New Horizons probe. The author of the proposal is the Italian astrophysicist Lorenzo Yorio. His article has already been posted on the ArXiv resource .

According to the astrophysicist, other objects can be found outside of Pluto - both planets and planetoids. And you can find them using the REX spectrometer, available on board New Horizons. Previously, this module was used to work on the study of Pluto and Charon. But it can also be used to track transpluton objects.



If such a body is large enough, it will affect the trajectory of New Horizons. The trajectory, in turn, can be measured with an accuracy of 10 meters using Rex. According to Yorio, the module is able to detect a stone object about the size of the Earth at a distance of about 100-200 AU If the object is larger, for example, the size of Jupiter, it can be tracked at much farther approaches to the Earth - at a distance of about 10000-20000 AU As for the news about the new planet, the size of the object predicted using a mathematical model should be larger than the size of the Earth, but smaller than the size of Neptune. Thus, it is quite possible to find it using the method proposed by Yorio. True, in this case, it will be necessary to stabilize the trajectory of the apparatus, positioning it with high accuracy. And this requires more fuel than now.

If New Horizons were equipped with sensitive modules capable of absorbing electromagnetic radiation, then this method could also be used to detect new "inhabitants" of the solar system. But with current technology, this is not yet possible. Now the device performs another scientific mission - it is approaching the 2014 MU asteroid from the Kuiper belt. When approaching this object, the probe will begin a detailed study of the asteroid. But this will not happen until 2019.