Astronomers have discovered ‘strongest’ evidence that Planet Nine is really in the solar system

There's something lurking out there in the depths of the solar system.

Just beyond Neptune's orbit, there's something massive enough to stabilise the orbits of the objects around it.

It might be something sinister lurking at the edge of the solar system, but more likely than Cthulhu is that scientists have found evidence for the elusive 'Planet Nine'.

If this is confirmed in the future, then it could potentially restore the number of planets in the solar system back up to nine since Pluto's demotion.

You can't help but feel a bit sorry for Pluto if things did turn out that way.

Nonetheless, the latest body of evidence has been described as the 'strongest statistical evidence yet that Planet Nine is really out there'.

But what's that you say, 'statistical evidence'? Surely this is literally a planet, how could we miss it in our own solar system when we routinely discover planets around other stars all the time?

This could be the orbit of a Planet Nine. (MagentaGreen/Prokaryotes/Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 1.0))

That's because it's actually easier to spot planets which are located around other stars than it is around our own.

One method is the 'transit method', which involves seeing how a planet blocks light from a star as it passes, or you could see how a star 'wobbles' as planets orbit it, or use a variety of other methods.

But around the Sun it's a bit more tricky as we effectively have to rely on either seeing the planet directly or seeing the reactions it causes in the objects around it.

In this case, it was because of the orbits of objects which are located just beyond the orbit of Neptune in the solar system.

These orbits were disturbed by some object out there which was clearly large enough to be able to exert such a force on its surroundings.

The orbit could be located just behind that of Neptune. (Science Photo Library - MARK GARLICK / Getty)

While it's not definitive proof, it does point to the possibility of Planet Nine being out there.

The authors of a study examining the data said: "Excitingly, the dynamics described here, along with all other lines of evidence for Planet Nine, will soon face a rigorous test with the operational commencement of the Vera Rubin Observatory.

"This upcoming phase of exploration promises to provide critical insights into the mysteries of our solar system’s outer reaches."

So that's not a definitive yes there's a ninth planet, but ultimately who know what could be lurking at the edge of the solar system.