To search for the ninth planet of the solar system is proposed to attract the probe New Horizons

The scientific community a few weeks ago was agitated by the news about the possible existence of a ninth planet in the solar system. We are talking about a planet that is far from the Sun much further than Pluto, and many times larger than this planetoid. True, so far scientists have no absolute confidence in the existence of this planet, although its presence beyond the orbit of Pluto is predicted by mathematical calculations .

For the search and further study of this planet (provided that it really exists), scientists propose to use the probe New Horizons. The author of the proposal is Italian astrophysicist Lorenzo Yorio. His article has already been posted on the resource ArXiv .

According to astrophysics, other objects can be found outside of Pluto - both planets and planetoids. And they can be detected using the REX radio spectrometer available on board the New Horizons. Previously, this module was used to work on the study of Pluto and Charon. But it can also be used to track transpluton objects.
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If such a body is large enough, it will affect the trajectory of the New Horizons . The trajectory, in turn, can be measured with an accuracy of up to 10 meters with the help of Rex. According to Yorio, the module is able to detect a stone object about the size of the Earth at a distance of about 100-200 AU. If the object is larger, for example, the size of Jupiter, it can be tracked on much more distant approaches to the Earth - at a distance of about 10,000-20000 AU. As for the news about the new planet, the size of the object predicted using a mathematical model should be larger than the size of the Earth, but smaller than the size of Neptune. Thus, to find it using the method proposed by Yorio is quite realistic. However, in this case, it will be necessary to stabilize the trajectory of the device, positioning it with high accuracy. And it requires more fuel than now.

If New Horizons were equipped with sensitive modules capable of perceiving electromagnetic radiation, then this method could also be used to detect new “inhabitants” of the solar system. But with current technology this is not yet possible. Now the device is carrying out another scientific mission - it is approaching the 2014 MU asteroid from the Kuiper belt. When approaching this object, the probe will begin a detailed study of the asteroid. But it will not happen before 2019.