Remember when Pluto was demoted to dwarf status and the solar system became one planet shy? Well, there's still no hope that Pluto will be invited back to the gang--but a new ninth planet may be moving in to take its place.

Researchers from the California Institute of Technology have revealed in a new paper that they may have discovered a ninth planet, though there is no confirmation yet on where exactly it is, let alone what it could mean.

So what is known about this planet so far? Check out this list below:

Is This A Joke?

No, the potential ninth planet was discovered and announced by Caltech researchers Konstantin Batygin and Mike Brown. The object, which they've nicknamed Planet Nine, was found through mathematical modeling and computer simulations. Their initial research came after they noticed that certain objects in the Kuiper Belt, a field of object and debris floating out past Neptune, had orbits that all pointed in the same direction.

How Come We Never Noticed It Until Now?

This is because of its unique orbit. According to Batygin and Brown, Planet Nine’s path around the sun would take between 10,000 and 20,000 years just to complete one rotation. What’s more, its movement, which the official Caltech report describes as “a bizarre, highly elongated orbit,” takes it into the outer solar system, far from Earth. In fact, it's so far out there that we've yet to even SEE it--even though Batygin and Brown's work proves that it's there.

What Do We Know About It?

Eh, not much. Based on Batygin and Brown's calculations, Planet Nine is pretty massive and is around 10 times bigger than the Earth. Its deep orbit also means it's likely very very cold. And that's about it. We don't even know WHERE it is on its orbital path, only a rough idea of how it moves through space. So in essence, scientists are now looking to find this humongous planet.

Is Planet Nine Now An Official Part Of Our Solar System?

Not yet. Because it hasn't yet been seen directly, it can't be officially called a ninth planet with an official name, though there is no doubt in the researchers' minds that it is big enough to be a real planet. But, with the publication of the paper, they hope that their findings will inspire others to keep searching for it. Discovery is considered a high possibility because it has a large orbit, making it more possible that it can be found by other telescopes.

Tags: new planet planet nine science astronomy