Australian astronomers launch public search for mysterious 'Planet 9'

New Delhi: Australian astronomers have announced a public search of the southern skies for a large planet believed to be hiding in the outer reaches of the Solar System.

The researchers at Australian National University (ANU) called on amateur astronomers to help them make the historic discovery of the so called 'Planet 9'.

The project to find 'Planet 9' is led by ANU astrophysicist Dr Brad Tucker, and will require the help of passionate stargazers who could be the first to set eyes on something no human has seen before, Xinhua news agency reported.

Under the project, citizen scientists will be allowed to browse hundreds of thousands of images taken by the ANU SkyMapper telescope at Siding Spring. Volunteers are invited to cast an eye over the photos and note any differences, oddities or potential 'Planet 9s'.

"We have the potential to find a new planet in our Solar System that no human has ever seen in our two-million-year history," Tucker said in a statement released on Monday.

"Planet 9 is predicted to be a super Earth, about 10 times the mass and up to four times the size of our planet. It's going to be cold and far away, and about 800 times the distance between Earth and the sun. It's pretty mysterious."

"It's actually not that complicated to find Planet 9. It really is spot the difference. Then you just click on the image, mark what is different and we'll take care of the rest," Tucker said.

"It will be through all our dedication that we can find Planet 9 and other things that move in space."

The ANU said it would release further details about the search for Planet 9 in coming weeks.

Tucker added that the search for Planet 9 would also help lead to the discovery of other mystery objects in space, including asteroids, comets and dwarf planets such as Pluto.

He said if anyone finds a unique mystery object, they will be able to name it - however not after themselves.

"If you find an asteroid or dwarf planet, you can't actually name it after yourself."

"But you could name it after your wife, brother or sister. We need to follow all of the rules set by the International Astronomical Union," Tucker added.

Anyone who helps find the so-called Planet 9 will work with ANU astronomers to validate the discovery through the International Astronomical Union.

(With IANS inputs)