Planetary Indecision

Only a few weeks ago, NASA declared the existence of Planet IX. For decades, scientists have had their suspicions regarding the presence of yet another massive planet in the outer reaches of our solar system. When Uranus was discovered in 1781 by the first telescopes, astronomers noticed a discrepancy in its orbital pattern. This gave way to the discovery of Neptune, which lay just beyond Uranus. Since then, there has been some curiosity about a ninth planet, and it has even become known as Planet IX. However, there has never been any evidence to reason its existence until now.A small group of icy space debris was noticed to have a regular and somewhat controlled orbit. In fact, there was only a one in 15,000 chance that the group of celestial objects was not shepherded by the gravitational pull of some unknown mass. This hypothetical planet could be the only explanation for the harboring of stray debris from the Kuiper Belt. After further study, the reasoning checked out and the only missing piece now is the actual telescope image. If seeing is believing for many people, then it may be five years until telescopes can muster a shot of the mysterious planet.Back in 2005, Mike Brown of Caltech University stumbled upon a solid celestial object about the size of Pluto. For only a short while, what was named “Eris” was an official planet, but when it was demoted to dwarf status in 2008, Pluto followed shortly after. Since then, Brown has always told interviewers that “There are just eight planets, and we’ll never have any more.” Now, that statement has been contradicted yet again.Brown’s work in the discovery of Eris has carried over as he now serves as one of the chief investigators of the enigma of Planet IX. He works with his assistant Konstanin Batygin and together have banded to untie some of the ugliest knots in our understanding of space today. They collaborated on the official decision to dismiss Pluto from our immediate realm of planets and have taken a giant stride in the declaration of Planet IX’s reality. In my opinion, no one is more qualified to lead the crusade of space reconnaissance than Brown and Batygin. I do, however, dissent in the current method of “charging ahead” into the greater unknown of space understanding.Space has always been such an abstract notion for me, because growing up there have always been such constantly fluctuating facts. I pinned a poster of the nine planets on my bedroom wall when I was little, and now there hangs a completely defaced one with Sharpie x’s through some planets and question marks over others. My respect for NASA and the astute astronomists in which they employ has never faltered, however, as a young and eager consumer of the awe of space, my interest in the matter has expired over the years due to the ever-changing decisions scientists are making about what is and what is not.Between the somewhat constant additions to the list of planets, Pluto and Eris being declared dwarfs and the rediscovery of Planet IX, this has brought a defining question to the forefront of astronomical study. What even is a planet? With such engrossed examination of the characteristics and logistical matter involving each known location in our immediate system, as a scientific community and human population, new vistas begin to shake our fundamental definitions of the simplest concepts. What differentiates Pluto and Eris from the larger Planet IX? Which justifies the reality of one over the other when scientists completely lack physical proof?In order to take the steps to define the existence of these celestial mysteries we don’t yet have footage of, we must first go back to the basics and decide as a whole scientific community how to define the simple concepts that we can then build off of.At the end of the day, the most devoted followers of air and space exploration are youth. The issue lies in the somewhat scattered delivery of new information that has left a certain amount of segregation between NASA’s awe inspiring discoveries and their adamant supporters.The age of planetary decisions and indecisions should be temporarily curtailed to stop, breathe and redefine. This collective head-clearing will not only benefit the astronomers who search empty space for a discernible reality to explain solar oddities but will bring the attention of people like me back to the remarkable unknowns of space exploration and hopefully encourage its collaborative continuation as one world, against all others.