9th planet possibly found, 40 billion miles out!

http://phys.org/news/2016-01-evidence-real-ninth-planet.html

I guess found is not the right word. Inferred is more like it.

If it is found, the amount of sunlight it receives is about 7 milliwatts per square meter...

So a solar collecting panel 1000 meters squared would collect 7000 watts times the efficiency, say being generous, 30%, leaves you with 2100 watts. Enough to heat your bathwater I guess.

Total though, if it is 2X the size of Earth, it would receive about 3 terawatts on the planet as a whole.

Get your telescopes out; the race is on to name it after the one who first sights it!

Originally posted by moonbus
Get your telescopes out; the race is on to name it after the one who first sights it!

Is this the planet that goes round the sun once every 10,000 years or so?

Originally posted by moonbus
Get your telescopes out; the race is on to name it after the one who first sights it!

Get your computer simulated telescopes out...

Originally posted by pawnpaw
Is this the planet that goes round the sun once every 10,000 years or so?

This one. not ten. but 20 thousand years. Assuming they did their math right.

Their math says nothing about where it is in its alleged orbit however. It clearly is not something you will see even with hubble, it will take a scope with a lot more mirror than that to suss it out. And it would have to be covered with some kind of ice, a nice reflective surface to be visible at all.

It will be a great discovery if they ever find it.