Observational Constraints on Planet Nine: Cassini Range Observations
Open accessAbstract
We examine the tidal perturbations induced by a possible additional, distant planet in the solar system on the distance between the Earth and the Cassini spacecraft. We find that measured range residuals alone can significantly constrain the sky position, distance, and mass of the perturbing planet to sections of the sky essentially orthogonal to the orbit of Saturn. When we combine these constraints from tidal perturbations with the dynamical constraints from Batygin & Brown and Brown & Batygin, we further constrain the allowed location of the perturbing planet to a region of the sky approximately centered on (R.A., decl.) = (40°, −15°) and extending ∼20° in all directions.
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Holman and Payne were not able to spot a unique position of Planet Nine in space but only a set of allowed regions in the {α9, δ9} parameter space.
“Also, Holman and Payne [32] were not able to spot a unique position of P9 in space but only a set of allowed regions in the {α 9 , δ 9 } parameter space.”
From Has Kronos Devoured Planet Nine and Its Epigones? (2026) · cites this paper as [32]
If the ranges for α9 and δ9 by Holman and Payne are taken into account, the allowed regions with α9 close to 20 degrees are generally more extended than those with larger RA; they are bounded from below at 600 au for m9 = 4.9 Earth masses and 700 au for m9 = 8.4 Earth masses.
“If the ranges for α 9 , δ 9 by Holman and Payne [32] are taken into account, the allowed regions with α 9 close to 20 • are generally more extended than those characterized by larger values of the RA: they are bounded from below at 600 au (m 9 = 4.9 m ⊕ ) and 700 au (m 9 = 8.4 m ⊕ ).”
From Has Kronos Devoured Planet Nine and Its Epigones? (2026) · cites this paper as [32]
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Cites
Evidence for a Distant Giant Planet in the Solar System
Batygin, K., & Brown, M. E. (2016) · The Astronomical Journal · doi:10.3847/0004-6256/151/2/22 · Cited by 432 · cited 3× · see citing works
“ustering of the ESDOs: they all have arguments of perihelion, !, near zero. This does not result from known observational biases (de la Fuente Marcos and de la Fuente Marcos 2014; Gomes et al. 2015). Batygin and Brown (2016) (BB16a) extended this by noting that the most distant of the ESDOs are both apsidally and noda…”
BackgroundMethodResultInfluentialA Sedna-like body with a perihelion of 80 astronomical units
Trujillo, C. A., & Sheppard, S. S. (2014) · Nature · doi:10.1038/nature13156 · Cited by 303 · see citing works
Discovery of a Candidate Inner Oort Cloud Planetoid
Brown, M. E., Trujillo, C., & Rabinowitz, D. (2004) · The Astrophysical Journal · doi:10.1086/422095 · Cited by 242 · see citing works
Evidence for an Extended Scattered Disk
Gladman, B., Holman, M., Grav, T., Kavelaars, J., Nicholson, P., Aksnes, K., & Petit, J.-M. (2002) · Icarus · doi:10.1006/icar.2002.6860 · Cited by 194 · cited 3× · see citing works
“eral “deteached” or “extreme scattered disk objects” (ESDOs), such as 2001 CR105 (Gladman et al. 2002), Sedna (Brown et al.”
BackgroundSelf-citationObservational constraints on the orbit and location of Planet Nine in the outer solar system
Brown, M. E., & Batygin, K. (2016) · The Astrophysical Journal Letters · doi:10.3847/2041-8205/824/2/l23 · Cited by 112 · cited 3× · see citing works
“When we combine our constraints from the Cassini data with the dynamical constraints from Batygin & Brown (2016) and Brown & Batygin (2016), our preferred region is centered approximately at (R.A., decl.)”
BackgroundMethodDynamical limits on dark mass in the outer solar system
Hogg, D. W., Quinlan, G. D., & Tremaine, S. (1991) · The Astronomical Journal · doi:10.1086/115849 · Cited by 57 · cited 3× · see citing works
“0, ~r, and thus~r, can be determined as a function of time by numerically integrating the equations of motion. We model F~, the perturbation on Saturn’s orbit by Planet Nine, with a tidal potential (Hogg et al. 1991): x = GM X 2r3 X h r2 3 ~r rˆ X 2 i ; (6) where~r is again the heliocentric position of Saturn (or Cass…”
BackgroundInfluentialGomes, R. S., Soares, J. S., & Brasser, R. (2015) · Icarus · doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2015.06.020 · Cited by 49 · see citing works
THE HUNT FOR PLANET NINE: ATMOSPHERE, SPECTRA, EVOLUTION, AND DETECTABILITY
Fortney, J. J., Marley, M. S., Laughlin, G., Nettelmann, N., Morley, C. V., Lupu, R. E., Visscher, C., Jeremic, P., Khadder, W. G., & Hargrave, M. (2016) · The Astrophysical Journal Letters · doi:10.3847/2041-8205/824/2/l25 · Cited by 36 · see citing works
Flagged first, then by citations
Research works printed but not linked: 4
- [7]7. Chen, J., & Kipping, D. M. 2016, arXiv:1603.08614 · arXiv
- [17]17. Ginzburg, S., Sari, R., & Loeb, A. 2016, arXiv:1603.02876 · arXiv
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Cited by
Sorted by citations
Batygin, K., Adams, F. C., Brown, M. E., & Becker, J. C. (2019) · Physics Reports · doi:10.1016/j.physrep.2019.01.009 · Cited by 181 · see citing works
New Extreme Trans-Neptunian Objects: Toward a Super-Earth in the Outer Solar System
Sheppard, S. S., & Trujillo, C. (2016) · The Astronomical Journal · doi:10.3847/1538-3881/152/6/221 · Cited by 92 · see citing works
Consequences of a Distant Massive Planet on the Large Semimajor Axis Trans-Neptunian Objects
Shankman, C., Kavelaars, J. J., Lawler, S. M., Gladman, B. J., & Bannister, M. T. (2017) · The Astronomical Journal · doi:10.3847/1538-3881/153/2/63 · Cited by 42 · see citing works
New constraints on the location of P9 obtained with the INPOP19a planetary ephemeris
Fienga, A., Di Ruscio, A., Bernus, L., Deram, P., Durante, D., Laskar, J., & Iess, L. (2020) · Astronomy & Astrophysics · doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202037919 · Cited by 32 · see citing works
Di Ruscio, A., Fienga, A., Durante, D., Iess, L., Laskar, J., & Gastineau, M. (2020) · Astronomy & Astrophysics · doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202037920 · Cited by 24 · see citing works
Has Kronos Devoured Planet Nine and Its Epigones?
Iorio, L. (2026) · Universe · doi:10.3390/universe12020042
“(32) can be rewritten in terms of different density parameters for each component of the Universe where are the density parameters of radiation, dark matter, baryonic matter and dilaton field, respectively.”
- Authors
- Holman, M. J., & Payne, M. J.
- Affiliations
- Center for Astrophysics Harvard & Smithsonian (US)
- Venue
- The Astronomical Journal
- Publisher
- American Astronomical Society
- Published
- 2016-09-29
- Volume
- 152
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 94
- ISSN
- 0004-6256 (ISSN-L)
- 1538-3881
- OpenAlex
- W2340625833
- Cited by
- 44
- References
- 8
- Citations by year
- 2025: 2 · 2024: 1 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 2 · 2021: 2 · 2020: 7 · 2019: 4 · 2018: 8 · 2017: 10 · 2016: 5
- FWCI
- 4.30
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- The Astronomical Journal (publishedVersion)
- arXiv (Cornell University) (submittedVersion)
- arXiv (Cornell University)
- Funders
- Smithsonian Institution
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NNX13A124G, NNX16AD69G, NNX10AH40G)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Astronomy and Astrophysics › Astro and Planetary Science
- Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Astronomy and Astrophysics › Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies
- Physical Sciences › Engineering › Aerospace Engineering › Space Satellite Systems and Control
- Keywords
- Planet Nine, tidal perturbations, Cassini spacecraft, orbital constraints, planetary mass, solar system dynamics
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