The Search for Planet 9: How the Rubin Observatory Could Make a Discovery

Some scientists believe there’s an unseen planet beyond Neptune. Often called ‘Planet 9,’ this hypothetical planet remains elusive due to its great distance, making it a faint target.

The area of the sky that needs to be explored to find this planet is vast. However, a new astronomical facility in Chile could aid in this search. The NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory, situated on a mountaintop, is being equipped with advanced instruments to assist astronomers over the coming decade.

This observatory is designed to capture images of nearly the entire southern sky, enabling researchers to explore space in unprecedented detail for a period of 10 years. Scientists are currently fine-tuning the equipment to ensure the telescope is ready for its mission.

This report was documented by science correspondent Nell Greenfieldboyce. Additional insights and stories about space mysteries are available from Short Wave on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. To support ad-free episodes of Short Wave, consider subscribing to Short Wave+ at plus.npr.org/shortwave.

The production of this episode involved several contributors. Rachel Carlson produced it, while Rebecca Ramirez managed the editing. Fact-checking was conducted by Tyler Jones, with Kwesi Lee serving as the audio engineer.