If Planet Nine Is a Tiny Black Hole, This Is How to Find It

Our best bet could be to send a swarm of nanospacecraft — propelled from Earth by a powerful laser — to take a look.

The Physics arXiv Blog iconThe Physics arXiv Blog
By The Physics arXiv Blog
May 7, 2020 6:00 PMMay 7, 2020 8:35 PM
Black Hole Art - Shutterstock
(Credit: Milagli/Shutterstock)

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For centuries, astronomers have speculated that the solar system contains undiscovered planets that orbit in the distant, dark reaches of the sun’s realm. From time to time, they have spotted the gravitational effects of unknown bodies, forcing them to look for the culprit. Both Neptune and Pluto came to light in this way.

Black Hole Puzzle

Now, astronomers have a similar puzzle on their hands. For some time, they have been gathering evidence that a massive planet must be orbiting the sun at a distance of around 500 astronomical units, or 70 billion kilometers.

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