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| Ever since the discovery of ], the existence of a '''tenth planet''' has been speculated by astronomers and the general public alike. Tenth planets have frequently appeared in fiction, and media reports of new ] (TNO) discoveries have also used the label with some frequency. | |||
| == Tenth planets in astronomy == | |||
| The ] hypothesis, first put forth by ] in the late ], stated that there was a fifth ] beyond the orbit of Neptune, providing the most common basis for the existence of a tenth planet. The X stands for ''unknown'', rather than the Roman numeral for 10 — when Lowell postulated Planet X, the known planets totaled eight. Planet X was intended to explain perceived anomalies in the orbits of the outer planets. More accurate measurements taken by ]s such as ] caused the anomalies to vanish without the need for an extra planet, and the hypothesis was discredited in the ]. | |||
| With the discovery of the ], the astronomical community began instead to increasingly expect the status of tenth planet would most likely be awarded, if ever, to some other Pluto-like object. The newly-discovered TNO {{mpl|2003 UB|313}} is the most popular candidate for status as the tenth planet. Whether or not it is elevated to this status will depend largely on clarifications to the ] presently being undertaken by the ] (IAU). | |||
| ===Discovered candidates=== | |||
| ====Sedna and Quaoar==== | |||
| Two sizable TNO discoveries in the early ] prompted media usage of the term "tenth planet," although there has not been tremendous appetite for their elevation to planethood in the scientific community. ] was discovered in ] by ] scientists. Although significantly smaller than Pluto, Quaoar was the next-largest TNO by a considerable margin at the time of its discovery. | |||
| Another object, ], was discovered in ], at the time the most distant known object in the ]. It is speculated to be an inner member of the ], which is a distant reservoir of comets created when most of the original population of the Kuiper Belt was scattered by the outer planets early in the ]. Sedna is believed to be intermediate in size between Pluto and Quaoar. | |||
| ==== {{mp|2003 UB|313}} ==== | |||
| The Kuiper Belt object designated {{mpl|2003 UB|313}} was discovered in early ] from imagery dating to ] . The newly-found object appears to be larger than Pluto, the first such object to be found. Many media outlets have reported that {{mp|2003 UB|313}} is now the tenth planet in the solar system, and this classification has been backed by ] . However, the IAU has not weighed in on the issue and the status of the new object remains officially unclear. | |||
| One of its discoverers noted that although it is in an eccentric and highly inclined (44°) orbit, any definition of "planet" that includes Pluto should also include this new object . Deciding just what constitutes a planet has been an ongoing problem for astronomers, and {{mp|2003 UB|313}} is expected to restart this debate . | |||
| == Persephone and Proserpina == | |||
| Persephone is the most frequently-suggested name for a tenth planet. The major planets are, by tradition, named after ] gods; in Greco-Roman ] Roman Pluto corresponds to Greek ], and ] is Hades' wife, held in the darkness of the underworld, hence hers is thought an appropriate name for the 10th planet. | |||
| The name was previously used for the ] ], discovered in ] (before the planet Pluto, which was found in ]); since the ] (IAU) Committee on Small Body Nomenclature, which is charged with naming ]s, has a policy against names that are too similar, it is unlikely that any ]s (TNOs) will be named "Persephone". If the IAU resolves the dilemma of ] and determines that the new TNO {{mpl|2003 UB|313}} is a major planet, this same policy will not strictly apply; in any case, the discoverers of {{mp|2003 UB|313}} have proposed a name from "another tradition". | |||
| An alternate proposal would use ], wife of ], the Roman name for Persephone; but ] received that name in ], presenting the same nomenclature policy problems as "Persephone". | |||
| It should be noted that the mother of Persephone, ]; and of Proserpina, ]; have been used as names of asteroids, ] and ] respectively; while ''Hades'' has not been used as a name for a body in the Solar System. See ] for details of the relationship between these three dieties from Greek and Roman mythology. | |||
| ==Tenth planets in fiction== | |||
| * ''']''' is a name frequently put forward for a future tenth planet. | |||
| :* In ]'s '']'' universe, '''Persephone''' is a small ] with a single moon, Kobold. | |||
| :* In ]'s novel '']'', the tenth planet is officially called '''Persephone''', but nicknamed '''Rupert''', and is inhabited by the crew of a spaceship who have forgotten almost everything about their mission, except that they are supposed to be "monitoring" something. | |||
| :* Although not considered ], a ] publication entitled '']'' suggests that, in the '']'' universe, the solar system has a tenth planet called '''Persephone''' that orbits at a great distance from the Sun. No canonical film or TV episode has yet supported this, however. | |||
| :*] makes several references to a tenth planet called '''Persephone'''. | |||
| * In '']'', the solar system contains several additional planets. One, dubbed '']'' is called '''Mondas''', home of the ]. Mondas is/was a twin planet of Earth which left the solar system. Another planet is '''Cassius''' which is located beyond Pluto. | |||
| * The TV series '']'' features the tenth planet, named '''Ultra''', in one episode. | |||
| * The 1984 ] '']'' has aliens from '''"Planet 10"''' crossing the 8th dimension and invading the Earth. | |||
| * In ]'s ''Schroedinger's Cat'' trilogy, the tenth and eleventh planets are named '''Mickey''' and '''Goofy''' respectively. | |||
| * On the 80's ] ], the Alien Life Form called the tenth planet "'''Alvin'''" (and the eleventh "'''Dave'''"). | |||
| ==Tenth planets in myth== | |||
| The Sumerian scholar ], in his book ''The 12th Planet'', discusses the planet ], a tenth planet (twelfth to those who included the Sun and Moon). Nibiru allegedly follows a long, elliptical orbit, which reaches the inner solar system every 3600 years. This is considered to be ] by mainstream ]s and ]s. See ]. | |||
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