The solar system may actually hold ten or 11 planets, according to a new study which poses questions for the researchers who detected evidence of "Planet Nine" earlier this year.
In January, Konstantin Batygin and Mike Brown from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) claimed there was an icy world far beyond the dwarf planet of Pluto and believed to be up to four times as large and ten times as massive as Earth.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Now those orbits have led scientists from Cambridge University and Spain to believe there could also be a Planet Ten and even Eleven, reports the Daily Telegraph.
Sverre Aarseth, from the Institute of Astronomy at Cambridge, and Spanish astronomers Carlos and Raul de la Fuente Marcos say the orbit of Planet Nine does not match up with the orbits of the Kuiper belt objects and so there has to be more large planets influencing them.
"We believe that in addition to a Planet Nine, there could also be a Planet Ten and even more," said Carlos de la Fuente Marcos.
However, not everyone is convinced by the findings.
"I think it's way too early to start speculating about a second planet but, in general, I am confused by their results," Caltech's Brown told the Daily Mail.
"We have a nearly identical analysis which shows nearly the opposite result. It is not obvious to me why they would get such a different answer."
-
Is $140,000 the real poverty line?Feature Financial hardship is wearing Americans down, and the break-even point for many families keeps rising
-
Film reviews: ‘The Secret Agent’ and ‘Zootopia 2’Feature A Brazilian man living in a brutal era seeks answers and survival and Judy and Nick fight again for animal justice
-
Trump: Losing energy and supportFeature Polls show that only one of his major initiatives—securing the border—enjoys broad public support
-
Femicide: Italy’s newest crimeThe Explainer Landmark law to criminalise murder of a woman as an ‘act of hatred’ or ‘subjugation’ but critics say Italy is still deeply patriarchal
-
Brazil’s Bolsonaro behind bars after appeals run outSpeed Read He will serve 27 years in prison
-
Americans traveling abroad face renewed criticism in the Trump eraThe Explainer Some of Trump’s behavior has Americans being questioned
-
Nigeria confused by Trump invasion threatSpeed Read Trump has claimed the country is persecuting Christians
-
Sanae Takaichi: Japan’s Iron Lady set to be the country’s first woman prime ministerIn the Spotlight Takaichi is a member of Japan’s conservative, nationalist Liberal Democratic Party
-
Russia is ‘helping China’ prepare for an invasion of TaiwanIn the Spotlight Russia is reportedly allowing China access to military training
-
Interpol arrests hundreds in Africa-wide sextortion crackdownIN THE SPOTLIGHT A series of stings disrupts major cybercrime operations as law enforcement estimates millions in losses from schemes designed to prey on lonely users
-
China is silently expanding its influence in American citiesUnder the Radar New York City and San Francisco, among others, have reportedly been targeted
