Tenth Planet Discovered!

(Reuters) Science-fiction writers have long dreamed about the legendary Planet X, but now scientists have actually discovered it. Astronomers at the Griffith Park Observatory in Los Angeles today announced the discovery of the solar system’s tenth planet.

"This is a tremendously exciting discovery," said Olaf Gustafsen, the observatory’s chief astronomer. "The last time a planet was discovered was in 1930, and even that has been controversial."

Gustafsen refers to the discovery of Pluto, an object so tiny that many have suggested it is not a planet at all but is instead one of the many objects of the solar system’s Kuiper belt.

"There’s no doubt about the new planet," Gustafsen said. "It’s larger than four other planets of the solar system–Pluto, Mercury, Mars, and Venus–making Planet X a rival for earth in size."

The object has been temporarily named called "Planet X" by astronomers because it is the tenth planet discovered, and "X" is Latin for "ten."

Astronomers plan to give it a new name with a mythological origin in the near future. "Personally, I’m rooting for ‘Yuggoth,’" said Gustafsen.

The planet was discovered with the aide of high powered computing equipment being used to identify individual objects within the Kuiper belt.

"The object was so large compared to all the known Kuiper belt objects that we couldn’t believe it," Gustafsen said. "At first we thought it was just a practical joke being played by a colleague typing in phony data on a computer, but it turned out to be real."

Despite its vast distance from the sun, which Gustafsen says is a staggering 98 million miles, scientists have been able to determine a remarkable number of things about Planet X. For example, it has one large moon, it has a nickle-iron core, and it has a rotational period almost identical to the earth, compared to most planets, which have very different rotational periods.

"Surprising as it may seem," Gustafsen says, "rotationally this is a daily planet."

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Author: Jimmy Akin

Jimmy was born in Texas, grew up nominally Protestant, but at age 20 experienced a profound conversion to Christ. Planning on becoming a Protestant seminary professor, he started an intensive study of the Bible. But the more he immersed himself in Scripture the more he found to support the Catholic faith, and in 1992 he entered the Catholic Church. His conversion story, "A Triumph and a Tragedy," is published in Surprised by Truth. Besides being an author, Jimmy is the Senior Apologist at Catholic Answers, a contributing editor to Catholic Answers Magazine, and a weekly guest on "Catholic Answers Live."

20 thoughts on “Tenth Planet Discovered!”

  2. I daresay this is an April Fools. The distance from the sun of Planet X is given as a “staggering” 98 million miles. I would point out that the average distance from the Earth to the Sun is a similarly “staggering” 93 million miles. 🙂

  3. I think they ought to name it slooflirpa after the Kuiper region that it was found in.
    I’ve always liked that name.

  4. +J.M.J+
    Ya think April Fools Jokes are kinda predictable, since they always occur on the same day? Just remain skeptical of everything you hear or read for the whole day, and you won’t get taken in by them.
    Unfortunately, I don’t think the news out of the Vatican today is just a big April Fools joke, though I wish it was….
    In Jesu et Maria,

  6. In response to Rosemarie, I just hope the Holy Father can hold out till midnight Vatican time. I cringe to think of the barbs we’re bound to get from the Catholic-bashers if he dies on April Fools Day.

  10. I cannot believe that I fell for that. I must be the most gullable person on the planet. The next thing you know you’ll be telling me that there really is no such thing as a Solar Death Ray. And to think I have already mailed in my $50 bucks!

  12. I played a great joke on my husband. I called him and told him that he needed to take off work Monday because I called my old principal about their open Spanish teacher position (the Spanish teacher really had quit) and he wanted to see me MOnday at 11:00. My husband was speechless since we have four kids and I homeschool….Ha Ha Ha Ha!

  13. Where are we going?
    PLANET TEN!
    When are we going?
    REAL SOON!
    Curse you, Banzai!

  14. In response to Rosemarie, I just hope the Holy Father can hold out till midnight Vatican time. I cringe to think of the barbs we’re bound to get from the Catholic-bashers if he dies on April Fools Day.

    While jibes on such an infantile level would fret me not in the tiniest, slightest way, FWIW, as this writing it is midnight in Rome, and April is over.

  15. Bill: I didn’t know you were a Red Lectroid.
    Your name isn’t John. (Or is it John Bill Walsh.)

  17. Hey, it was one of my fictional stories, so I wanted to work in the words “daily planet.”

  18. Since there are 8 planets and about 6 billion km between the Sun and Pluto, do you think that since 2003-UB-313 is about 17 billion km from the sun there are 16 planets between it and Pluto?

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