Trans-Neptunian

In an attempt to find Planet-X two astronomers (Sheppard and Trujillo, Northern Arizona U) have found new but strange trans-Neptunian objects in the Kuiper belt.

One of these is 2012 VP113 or Biden. This planet, which is several times the size of Earth, is around 200 AU, or 200 times the distance of Earth to the sun. It has a highly elliptical orbit and it's 5 times more distant than Pluto.

Another one is 2013 FT28. This object has a very eccentric orbit that's much different than other trans-Neptunian objects.

2014 FE 72 is an Oort Cloud object that travels 3000 AU from the Sun. That's way out there and is probably under the influence of some nearby stars.

Any one of these could be the Planet-X. However, this study is ongoing and will probably find more objects out there beyond Neptune.

Actually, there are hundreds of objects out there that have been duly cataloged, but there is very little known about their composition. Even less is known about they were formed. Many of these are not really planets as such but rather odd-shaped asteroid-like bodies with all sorts of shapes that are roughly spherical.

All this means is that there is much more about our solar system that is unknown rather than known. There has to be thousands of objects out there, many more than was ever imagined. It just goes to show you how little we do know.

Thanks for reading.