http://archive.eso.org/wdb/wdb/eso/sche … 297.C-5014(A)

Precise Search for Planet 9 : Q3

PI: laskar , Jacques

Abstract: In January 2016, Batygin and Brown have proposed the existence of an additional Planet 9 (P9) in our solar system for explaining the distribution of the Kuiper Belt Objects (KBO). As they consider the long term effect of P9 on the KBO, they cannot constrain its longitude and search for P9 in a large band of about $7200 \,\rm{deg}^2$. On the opposite, we are using the same method that led Le Verrier to the discovery of Neptune. Using our high precision model for the solar system, we compute the deformation that P9 would cause on the orbit of Saturn. We fit the full solar system parameters and analyse the residuals in the Cassini data that provide an Earth-Saturn distance with a 70 meter accuracy (Fienga et al. 2016). The minimisation of the residuals allows us to directly obtain the location of P9 in 4 isolated possible spots (Q1,Q2,Q3,Q4). This proposal is to scan the 12 $\rm{deg}^2$ central part of Q3, the only P9 spot that is observable by the VST in P96, to detect Planet 9.

Run ID: 297.C-5014(A)
Publication(s): N/A

http://archive.eso.org/wdb/wdb/eso/sche … 098.C-0542(A)

http://archive.eso.org/wdb/wdb/eso/sche … 098.C-0542(B)

http://archive.eso.org/wdb/wdb/eso/sche … 098.C-0542(C)

Precise Search for Planet 9

PI: laskar , Jacques

Abstract: In January 2016, Batygin and Brown have proposed the existence of an additional Planet 9 (P9) in our solar system for explaining the distribution of the Kuiper Belt Objects (KBO). As they consider the long term effect of P9 on the KBO, they cannot constrain the longitude of P9. Their strategy is then to scan a large band in the sky of about $20\times 360 = 7200 \rm{deg}^2$. On the opposite, we are using the same method that led Le Verrier to the discovery of Neptune. Using our high precision model for the solar system, we compute the deformation that P9 would cause on the orbit of Saturn. We fit the full solar system parameters and analyse the residuals in the Cassini data that provide an Earth-Saturn distance with a 70 meter accuracy (Fienga et al. 2016). The minimisation of the residuals allows us to directly obtain the location of P9 in a few isolated possible spots. This proposal is to scan the only $35 \rm{deg}^2$ P9 spot that is observable by the VST in P98, to detect Planet 9.

Run ID: 098.C-0542(C)
Publication(s): N/A