Astronomy Talk: Planet 9 From Outer Space

Guest Speaker:

Mike Brown

Director

Caltech Center for Comparative Planetary Evolution (The Guy Who Killed Pluto)

In the past 175 years, more than 30 separate astronomers have suggested the existence of a giant planet beyond Neptune. They have always been wrong. In 2016, Dr. Michael Brown and Dr. Konstantin Batygin joined the list, suggesting that Planet 9, at a distance perhaps 20 times greater than that of Neptune, is the only plausible explanation for a wide range of phenomena in the distant solar system. He will talk about why they think Planet 9 is real, how they’re continuing to develop their hypothesis, and what they are doing to track down this elusive planet.

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W. M. Keck Observatory wishes to offer our deepest gratitude to our Astronomy Talk Series sponsors, Rob and Terry Ryan.