Solar obliquity induced by planet nine
Open accessAbstract
The six-degree obliquity of the Sun suggests that either an asymmetry was present in the solar system’s formation environment, or an external torque has misaligned the angular momentum vectors of the Sun and the planets. However, the exact origin of this obliquity remains an open question. Batygin & Brown have recently shown that the physical alignment of distant Kuiper Belt orbits can be explained by a planet on a distant, eccentric, and inclined orbit, with an approximate perihelion distance of ∼250 au. Using an analytic model for secular interactions between Planet Nine and the remaining giant planets, here, we show that a planet with similar parameters can naturally generate the observed obliquity as well as the specific pole position of the Sun’s spin axis, from a nearly aligned initial state. Thus, Planet Nine offers a testable explanation for the otherwise mysterious spin–orbit misalignment of the solar system.
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The secular gravitational torque exerted by P9 upon the canonical giant planets would slowly perturb the orbital plane of the planets away from its initial state, exciting a spin-orbit misalignment between the total angular momentum vector of the canonical giant planets and the spin-axis of the sun.
“Shortly after the initial formulation of the Planet Nine hypothesis, it was pointed out by Bailey et al. (2016); Gomes et al. (2016); Lai (2016) that the secular gravitational torque exerted by P9 upon the canonical giant planets would slowly perturb the orbital plane of the planets away from its initial state, thereby exciting a spin-orbit misalignment between the total angular momentum vector of”
From The planet nine hypothesis (2019) · cites this paper as Bailey et al. (2016)
Given plausible P9 parameters (e.g., m9 = 15 M, a9 = 500 AU, e9 = 0.5, i = 20 deg), the entire 6-degree obliquity of the sun could be accounted for by P9 perturbations alone.
“Moreover, these authors found that given plausible P9 parameters (e.g., m 9 = 15 M ; a 9 = 500 AU, e 9 = 0 : 5 ; i = 20 deg; Bailey et al. 2016), the entire 6-degree obliquity of the sun could be accounted for by P9 perturbations alone.”
From The planet nine hypothesis (2019) · cites this paper as Bailey et al. 2016
Cites
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Tsiganis, K., Gomes, R., Morbidelli, A., & Levison, H. F. (2005) · Nature · doi:10.1038/nature03539 · Cited by 1,476 · see citing works
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Adams, F. C. (2010) · Annual Review of Astronomy and Astrophysics · doi:10.1146/annurev-astro-081309-130830 · Cited by 464 · see citing works
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 7× · see citing works
“In particular, the illustrative m9 = 10m⊕, a9 = 700 AU, e9 = 0.6 perturber considered by Batygin & Brown (2016), as well as virtually all of the “highprobability” orbits computed by Brown & Batygin (2016) fall short of exciting 6 degrees of obliquity from a strictly coplanar initial configuration.”
BackgroundInfluentialSelf-citationBatygin, K., Brown, M. E., & Fraser, W. C. (2011) · The Astrophysical Journal · doi:10.1088/0004-637x/738/1/13 · Cited by 141 · see citing works
Self-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 7× · see citing works
“E P] 2 0 Ju l 2 01 6 (Brown & Batygin 2016).”
BackgroundInfluentialSelf-citationINTERACTION CROSS SECTIONS AND SURVIVAL RATES FOR PROPOSED SOLAR SYSTEM MEMBER PLANET NINE
Li, G., & Adams, F. C. (2016) · The Astrophysical Journal Letters · doi:10.3847/2041-8205/823/1/l3 · Cited by 60 · see citing works
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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
“Finally, numerical experiments that fully resolve the dynamics of the entire outer solar system have also been performed (Batygin and Brown, 2016b; Sheppard and Trujillo, 2016; Gomes et al., 2016; Bailey et al., 2016; Becker et al., 2018; Sheppard et al., 2018).”
BackgroundInfluentialSelf-citationOrigin and Evolution of Short-period Comets
Nesvorný, D., Vokrouhlický, D., Dones, L., Levison, H. F., Kaib, N., & Morbidelli, A. (2017) · The Astrophysical Journal · doi:10.3847/1538-4357/aa7cf6 · Cited by 163 · see citing works
Dynamics of Planetary Systems within Star Clusters: Aspects of the Solar System’s Early Evolution
Batygin, K., Adams, F. C., Batygin, Y. K., & Petigura, E. A. (2020) · The Astronomical Journal · doi:10.3847/1538-3881/ab665d · Cited by 43 · see citing works
Self-citationConsequences 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
Testing the Isotropy of the Dark Energy Survey’s Extreme Trans-Neptunian Objects
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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
- Authors
- Bailey, E., Batygin, K., & Brown, M. E.
- Affiliations
- California Institute of Technology (US)
- Corresponding author
- Bailey, Elizabeth
- Venue
- The Astronomical Journal
- Publisher
- American Astronomical Society
- Published
- 2016-10-21
- Volume
- 152
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 126
- ISSN
- 0004-6256 (ISSN-L)
- 1538-3881
- OpenAlex
- W2498195370
- Cited by
- 62
- References
- 7
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 1 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 2 · 2020: 16 · 2019: 9 · 2018: 11 · 2017: 10 · 2016: 3
- FWCI
- 5.26
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- The Astronomical Journal (publishedVersion)
- arXiv (Cornell University) (submittedVersion)
- CaltechAUTHORS (California Institute of Technology) (submittedVersion)
- arXiv (Cornell University)
- AAS/Division for Planetary Sciences Meeting Abstracts #48
- 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 › Physics and Astronomy › Astronomy and Astrophysics › History and Developments in Astronomy
- Keywords
- Planet Nine, spin-orbit misalignment, giant planets, external torque, solar system formation
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