Japanese researchers have discovered a new object on the outskirts of the solar system — 2023 KQ14. Its orbit casts doubt on the popular hypothesis of the existence of a ninth planet, The Register reports.
The object belongs to the class of sednoids, celestial bodies whose orbit does not cross the path of Neptune. It passed perihelion at a distance of 71 astronomical units from the Sun, which is further than the orbit of Pluto. According to the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ), this is the most distant object ever recorded near perihelion.
2023 KQ14 was discovered by the FOSSIL program using the Subaru Telescope in Hawaii. It was later confirmed through observations with the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope and analysis of archival data.
Scientists note that the orbit of 2023 KQ14 does not fit the pattern previously associated with the hypothetical "Planet 9." It is believed that such a planet should gravitationally influence the orbits of sednoids, but new data contradicts this.
However, researchers do not rule out that a ninth planet could have existed in the past but was ejected from the system. The object currently has a temporary designation, but is informally called "Ammonite" - after the shape of its orbit.