Plan(et) 9 from outer space

The Australian National University (ANU) is launching a search for a new planet in our solar system, and you’re invited to help make this historic discovery.

ANU astrophysicist Dr Brad Tucker is leading the project, which is being launched by Professor Brian Cox during a BBC Stargazing Live broadcast from the ANU Siding Spring Observatory. Dr Tucker explained that astronomers have long discussed the likelihood of a ninth planet on the outer edges of the solar system, but nothing has been found yet.

“Planet 9 is predicted to be a super Earth, about 10 times the mass and up to four times the size of our planet,” he said. “It’s going to be cold and far away, and about 800 times the distance between Earth and the sun. It’s pretty mysterious.”

The ANU project will allow citizen scientists to use a website to search hundreds of thousands of images taken by the ANU SkyMapper telescope, which is creating a full record of the southern sky for Australian astronomers. To find Planet 9, volunteers will need to scan the SkyMapper images online to look for differences, Dr Tucker said.

“It’s actually not that complicated to find Planet 9 — it really is spot the difference,” Dr Tucker said. “Then you just click on the image, mark what is different and we’ll take care of the rest.”

Dr Tucker also expects people to find and identify other mystery objects in space, including asteroids, comets and dwarf planets. He did note, however, that if you find an asteroid or dwarf planet, you can’t name it after yourself.

“You could name it after your wife, brother or sister,” he said. “We need to follow all of the rules set by the International Astronomical Union.”

From 28–30 March at 8 pm London time, the BBC’s Stargazing Live will be hosted by Professor Cox and comedian Dara O’Briain, and is expected to be viewed by around five million people. The ABC will broadcast an Australian Stargazing Live program from Siding Spring from 4–6 April, hosted by Professor Cox and Julia Zemiro.

To take part in the search for Planet 9, visit www.planet9search.org.

Image: supplied.