Space & Astronomy

NASA finds no sign of hypothetical Planet X

By T.K. Randall
March 10, 2014 ·  16 comments

NASA's WISE telescope. Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech The concept of a 'Planet X' or 'Tyche' ( not to be confused with the mythical Nibiru ) was devised by physics professors John Matese and Daniel Whitmire of the University of Louisana in 2011.

The hypothetical gas giant, they theorized, may be up to four times the size of Jupiter and could be found within the extensive Oort cloud at the edge of the solar system. It has even been suggested that this distant body might be a failed star.Despite covering a distance of over 93 million miles however, a recent survey using NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) telescope has come up empty.

"The outer solar system probably does not contain a large gas giant planet, or a small, companion star," lead study author Kevin Luhman said in a statement.

Source: IB Times | Comments (16)

Tags: Oort Cloud, Planet X, Tyche