Antidote
Episode 43
The Story and Science Behind the “Discovery” of Planet 9 with Astronomer Konstantin Batygin
Planet 9 is the biggest astronomical “discovery” of recent memory, and the process of calculating its existence is revealed with astronomer Konstantin Batygin. When speculation of a large body of mass with an usual orbital alignment was detected, astronomers took to computer simulations, mathematical equations and a call to the public to discover the small gassous giant on the fringes of our solar system. Batygin breaks down this hypothesized planet that is estimated to be between 1 to 10 times the mass of the Earth, along with the Kuiper Belt, the discovery of Neptune, and why Dr. Mike Brown deemed Pluto no longer a planet in this episode of Antidote hosted by Michael Parker.
Episode Breakdown
00:01 Welcoming Konstantin Batygin to Antidote.
01:19 Planet 9.
05:45 Locating Planet 9.
07:09 Naming the planet.
09:15 Early skepticism, Neptune and planet discovery.
11:29 Becoming an astronomer.
14:17 Planet 9’s orbit, the The Kuiper Belt and Sedna.
18:25 The Kuiper Belt.
21:35 Dr. Mike Brown, Pluto & gravitational dominance.
24:13 Working with Dr. Mike Brown.
25:39 The need for planet X & the planet paths of Neptune & Uranus.
28:35 Pushback and response from the scientific community.
30:28 How to find Planet 9 & the Subaru Telescope.
31:57 Architecting our solar system & Jupiter.
34:30 Binary systems and companion stars.
35:32 Spirituality and science.
37:04 Music & Motorhead.
38:08 Thank you and goodbye.
Guest Bio
Coined the next “physics rock star” by Forbes, Konstantin Batygin immigrated to the U.S. from Russia at age 13 and currently works as an Assistant Professor of Planetary Sciences at Caltech. Batygin landed on the 2015 Forbes list of 30 scientists under 30 who are changing the world with an unprecedented record of publishing 21 papers as first author. He’s discovered planets in other solar systems and solved a centuries-old puzzle: yes, it turns out eventually the planets in the solar system will careen away from the sun. Batygin also plays in a rock band.
Additional Links
http://web.gps.caltech.edu/~kbatygin/Home.html
https://www.gps.caltech.edu/content/konstantin-batygin
http://web.gps.caltech.edu/~kbatygin/Publications_files/ms_planet9.pdf
https://www.facebook.com/weareantidote
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuUJ0ByfT_9idrRzIFu9OyA
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