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Perhaps a dumb question, but if we have some idea of where it was and its probable orbit back then, then why don’t we have some idea of where it is now?
by staticautomatic 5y ago
Perhaps a dumb question, but if we have some idea of where it was and its probable orbit back then, then why don’t we have some idea of where it is now?
- tectonic 5y agoYes we should.
- spenczar5 5y agoNot at all a dumb question! The argument goes that we haven't had powerful-enough telescopes (or enough dedicated observing time) to image it. Not everyone buys this; some people think it does not exist, and the perturbed orbits of Kuiper Belt objects are just a random fluke.
- svachalek 5y ago"Some idea" is the problem. Basically at the orbit we think it's at, even at the relatively large size they're expecting, it would be a tiny, tiny black dot. It's the proverbial needle in a haystack, knowing which haystack it's in is only the beginning.
- ulzeraj 5y agoI wonder how far would it be from New Horizons.
- saberdancer 5y agoThe scientist that found this potential planet in the old data did calculate the location where the planet should be and provided it in his article. I'm sure there will be follow up studies and some telescopes will be pointing.