An Ancient Stellar Flyby Could Have Put Planet Nine into its Distant Orbit

By Korey Haynes
Mar 4, 2019 11:00 PMMay 21, 2019 5:59 PM
a planet and disk in star system HD 106906 and the stars that passed close by
Exoplanet HD 106906 b was likely saved from being kicked out of its home system by the passage of two nearby stars. (Credit: Paul Kalas, UC Berkeley)

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New observations of a distant exoplanet and its solar system offer proof of a long-standing astronomical theory: passing stars can perturb planetary systems and change planets’ orbits – for better or worse. Depending on how they pass by, stars can nudge planets into more stable orbits or give them a kick that sends out of the system entirely. And new evidence implies that these kinds of encounters may explain the paths of strange objects in our own solar system, like Omuamua or Planet Nine. 

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