June Javelosa reports that given the expected mass and unusual orbit of our Sun, researchers believe Planet Nine could be responsible for the long-unexplained tilt of the Sun. Though astronomers have yet to actually see this far-away planet, it is already on its way to helping us better understand our solar system, hypothetically.
All of the planets in our solar system orbit around the Sun on a flat plane. That plane, however, is slightly and inexplicably askew by six degrees, and that angle makes us view the Sun as slightly tilted. They have known about the tilt of the Sun for 150 years, but no one has been able to provide a reasonable explanation for it. A team at Caltech has an idea, though. They think the theoretical Planet Nine could be responsible.
Because Planet Nine is so massive and has an orbit tilted compared to the other planets, the solar system has no choice but to slowly twist out of alignment, explains Caltech graduate student Elizabeth Bailey, lead author of the study that the Caltech team presented at the American Astronomical Society Division for Planetary Sciences meeting recently.
The math checks out. Given a Planet Nine atypical orbit, expected size, and great distance from the Sun, a six-degree tilt makes perfect sense, according to Mike Brown, Professor of Planetary Astronomy and co-author of the study.
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