The world is still not done grieving for Pluto’s declassification as a planet, a move the scientific community decided on a little more than a decade ago.
In recent years, astronomers have been working hard to confirm the existence of a “new” ninth planet to take Pluto’s place, a discovery they predict will occur sometime in 2017.
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In the meantime, physicists and mathematicians at New Mexico State University have proposed a new theory that explains how the hypothetical gas giant entered our outer solar system.
Planet Nine is believed to be far beyond Pluto’s orbit and is possibly 10-20 times more massive than Earth.
Scientists believe it’s is a “rogue planet,” or a planet that was captured by our solar system.
According to Space.com, NMSU math and physical science professor Paul Mason ran 156 computer simulations of Planet Nine encountering our solar system.
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In 60 percent of the simulations, Planet Nine escapes our solar system’s gravitational pull.
In about 40 percent of the encounters, Planet Nine stays for good, orbiting our solar system at extreme distances.
Click through above to see NASA posters that make you want to travel to space. Check out the video above to see what NASA has planned for 2017.