<p>The solar system may be thrown into disaster when the Sun dies if the mysterious 'Planet Nine' exists, according to new research.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Dimitri Veras from the University of Warwick in the UK has discovered that the presence of Planet Nine – the hypothetical planet which may exist in the outer Solar System - could cause the elimination of at least one of the giant planets after the Sun dies, hurling them out into interstellar space through a sort of 'pinball' effect.<br /><br />When the Sun starts to die in around seven billion years, it will blow away half of its own mass and inflate itself - swallowing the Earth - before fading into an ember known as a white dwarf.<br /><br />This mass ejection will push Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune out to what was assumed a safe distance.<br /><br />However, Veras has discovered that the existence of Planet Nine could rewrite this happy ending.<br />He found that Planet Nine might not be pushed out in the same way, and in fact might instead be thrust inward into a death dance with the solar system's four known giant planets - most notably Uranus and Neptune.<br /><br />The most likely result is ejection from the solar system, forever.<br /><br />Using a unique code that can simulate the death of planetary systems, Veras has mapped numerous different positions where a 'Planet Nine' could change the fate of the solar system.<br />The further away and the more massive the planet is, the higher the chance that the solar system will experience a violent future.<br /><br />This discovery could shed light on planetary architectures in different solar systems.<br /><br />Almost half of existing white dwarfs contain rock, a potential signature of the debris generated from a similarly calamitous fate in other systems with distant "Planet Nines" of their own.<br /><br />In effect, the future death of our Sun could explain the evolution of other planetary systems.<br />"The existence of a distant massive planet could fundamentally change the fate of the solar system. Uranus and Neptune in particular may no longer be safe from the death throes of the Sun.<br /><br />"The fate of the solar system would depend on the mass and orbital properties of Planet Nine, if it exists," said Veras, explaining the danger that Planet Nine could create.<br /><br />"The future of the Sun may be foreshadowed by white dwarfs that are 'polluted' by rocky debris. Planet Nine could act as a catalyst for the pollution.<br /><br />"The Sun's future identity as a white dwarf that could be 'polluted' by rocky debris may reflect current observations of other white dwarfs throughout the Milky Way," Veras added. <br /></p>
<p>The solar system may be thrown into disaster when the Sun dies if the mysterious 'Planet Nine' exists, according to new research.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Dimitri Veras from the University of Warwick in the UK has discovered that the presence of Planet Nine – the hypothetical planet which may exist in the outer Solar System - could cause the elimination of at least one of the giant planets after the Sun dies, hurling them out into interstellar space through a sort of 'pinball' effect.<br /><br />When the Sun starts to die in around seven billion years, it will blow away half of its own mass and inflate itself - swallowing the Earth - before fading into an ember known as a white dwarf.<br /><br />This mass ejection will push Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune out to what was assumed a safe distance.<br /><br />However, Veras has discovered that the existence of Planet Nine could rewrite this happy ending.<br />He found that Planet Nine might not be pushed out in the same way, and in fact might instead be thrust inward into a death dance with the solar system's four known giant planets - most notably Uranus and Neptune.<br /><br />The most likely result is ejection from the solar system, forever.<br /><br />Using a unique code that can simulate the death of planetary systems, Veras has mapped numerous different positions where a 'Planet Nine' could change the fate of the solar system.<br />The further away and the more massive the planet is, the higher the chance that the solar system will experience a violent future.<br /><br />This discovery could shed light on planetary architectures in different solar systems.<br /><br />Almost half of existing white dwarfs contain rock, a potential signature of the debris generated from a similarly calamitous fate in other systems with distant "Planet Nines" of their own.<br /><br />In effect, the future death of our Sun could explain the evolution of other planetary systems.<br />"The existence of a distant massive planet could fundamentally change the fate of the solar system. Uranus and Neptune in particular may no longer be safe from the death throes of the Sun.<br /><br />"The fate of the solar system would depend on the mass and orbital properties of Planet Nine, if it exists," said Veras, explaining the danger that Planet Nine could create.<br /><br />"The future of the Sun may be foreshadowed by white dwarfs that are 'polluted' by rocky debris. Planet Nine could act as a catalyst for the pollution.<br /><br />"The Sun's future identity as a white dwarf that could be 'polluted' by rocky debris may reflect current observations of other white dwarfs throughout the Milky Way," Veras added. <br /></p>