Dwarf planet 'Goblin' discovery could prove existence of mysterious Planet NINE – the 'death Planet X' that conspiracy ...

THE QUEST to find the mysterious planet nine has just been given a major boost – thanks to the discovery of a new dwarf planet.

Scientists are officially calling the new object 2015 TG387, but it's been given the nickname 'Goblin', and could prove an even bigger planet is lurking in the distant reaches of our solar system.

Experts say the Goblin could be under the gravitational effect of a distant unseen 'Planet Nine'

The new dwarf planet was revealed in The Astronomical Journal, and sits an enormous 80 astronomical units from the Sun.

An astronomical unit is the distance between the Earth and Sun, which means the Goblin is 80 times farther from Earth than the Sun.

But due to its elongated orbit, it can move significantly further away – to a maximum distance of 2,300 AU.

"These so-called Inner Oort Cloud objects like 2015 TG387, 2012 VP113, and Sedna are isolated from most of the solar system's known mass, which makes them immensely interesting," said Scott Sheppard, of Carnegie University, who helped make the discovery.

The Goblin's closest approach to the Sun is 65 astronomical units, but it can move as far away as 2,300 AU

"They can be used as probes to understand what is happening at the edge of our solar system."

The Goblin was actually first spotted back in October 2015, at the Japanese Subaru 8-metre telescope on Mauna Kea in Hawaii.

Later observations between 2015 and 2018 allowed experts to work out the planet's orbit.

But there's a good chance we may never have found 2015 TG387, due to its wide-ranging orbit.

"We think there could be thousands of small boides like 2015 TG387 out on the solar system's fringes, but their distance makes finding them very difficult," said David Tholen, of the University of Hawaii.

"Currently we would only detect 2015 TG387 when it is near its closest approach to the Sun.

"For some 99% of its 40,000-year orbit, it would be too faint to see."

Importantly, by tracking the Goblin's orbit, scientists were able to find supporting evidence for planet nine, or 'Planet X' – a theoretical ninth planet in our solar system, far beyond Pluto.

Planet X is particularly exciting thanks to a popular conspiracy theory called the 'Nibiru Cataclysm' popularised in America that suggests the planet will eventually destroy Earth.

Planet Nibiru Cataclysm – what is it, and will it actually happen?

Here's what you need to know...

Conspiracy theorists believe that a mysterious 'Planet Nibiru' will destroy Earth in the 21st century
The doomsday event is said to involve the planet crashing into Earth, destroying all of humanity
Alternatively, it could pass nearby to Earth, causing a "pole shift" that would also kill us all
It's been suggested that Nibiru is planet nine, a theoretical ninth planet that scientists think may be lurking in the farthest reaches of our solar system
But theories of a cataclysmic event involved planet nine aren't considered scientifically valid
The wacky idea was first proposed by Nancy Lieder, an American woman who describes herself as a "contactee"
She says that means she can receive messages from aliens in a distant star system called Zeta Reticuli
She does this, it's claimed, by using an implant in her brain
Nancy originally claimed that the Nibiru cataclysm would take place in May 2003, but the date was postponed
The theory was later revived by self-described "Christian numerologist" David Meade
He said the Nibiru cataclysm would take place on September 23, 2017, but that obviously didn't happen
There's no scientific evidence for this theory, but there is plenty of evidence for a ninth planet beyond Pluto

So why might the Goblin lead us to Planet X?

According to scientists, the 300km-wide Goblin has a similarly shaped orbit to most other extremely distant trans-Neptuinian objects – including 2012 VP113 Sedna.

This suggests that something is pushing them into similar types of orbits.

Experts believe this could be the elusive Planet X, hiding far away – but still having a visible effect on other space objects.

Scientists say the Goblin has similar orbits to fellow distant space objects, bolstering the case for the existence of a ninth planet in our solar system

"These distance objects are like breadcrumbs leading us to Planet X," said Sheppard.

"The more of them we can find, the better we can understand the outer solar system and the possible planet that we think is shaping their orbits – a discovery that would redefine our knowledge of the solar system's evolution."

Chad Trujillo, of Northern Arizona University, and Oklahoma's Nathan Kaib used computer simulations to work out how hypothetical Planet X orbits would affect the Goblin.

The simulations included a "super Earth" planet several hundred astronomical units away, on an elongated orbit.

Most of the simulations showed that the Goblin's orbit was "shepherded" by Planet X's gravity, keeping the dwarf planet away from it.

What is David Meade's Planet X theory and does it mean armageddon?

According to researchers, this gravitational "shepherding" would explain why distant objects in our solar system have similar orbits.

"What makes this result really interesting is that Planet X seems to affect 2015 TG387 the same way as all the other extremely distant solar system objects," said Trujillo.

"These simulations do not prove that there's another massive planet in our solar system, but they are further evidence that something big could be out there."

Do you think the elusive planet nine really exists? Let us know in the comments!

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