[Phys-L] Evidence for a Distant Giant Planet in the Solar System

[John Denker <jsd@av8n.com>]

> We find that the observed orbital alignment can be maintained by a
> distant eccentric planet with mass ≳10 m⊕.

Konstantin Batygin and Michael E. Brown
"EVIDENCE FOR A DISTANT GIANT PLANET IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM"
  http://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/0004-6256/151/2/22         (html)
  http://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/0004-6256/151/2/22/pdf

The full text of the article is online, free for all.

Authors:
  http://web.gps.caltech.edu/~kbatygin/Home.html
  http://web.gps.caltech.edu/~mbrown/

This is the same Michael E. Brown who wrote the book
  _How I Killed Pluto and Why It Had It Coming_  (2010)

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I mention this because it makes a good answer to the student who
thinks that all the interesting physics and astronomy got done
hundreds of years ago.

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It must be emphasized that the authors call this a hypothesis, not
yet fully confirmed.

On the other hand MEB has a track record of being ultra-careful and
conservative to a fault, so I reckon this is several steps up from
being a garden-variety rumor.