What Would It Be Like To Stand On An Icy Planet Nine (4K UHD)

Deep in the outer reaches of the solar system could be lurking the hypothetical Planet Nine. In part one we looked at why scientists think the planet might exist, where it could be hiding and what it might be like to stand on its rocky surface. We saw a bizarre volcanic world, scarred with fire and flowing rivers of lava, while ice and snow blanket its landscape. But scientists do not think that this mysterious world is made of rock, as the early inner solar system did not have enough material during its formation to form such a giant rocky world that may have been ejected into the outer zones. So could it instead be a world made of ice? Maybe a massive version of Pluto? If Planet Nine is made of ice, it would be the biggest object ever formed in the Kuiper Belt region, potentially 10 times the mass of Earth. So if this elusive world does exist, and we had the technology to travel to and explore its surface, what would it be like to stand on an icy Planet Nine? Much like on a rocky Planet Nine, the brave exploring astronauts would have to wear special spacesuits as this strange world travels as far out as 1200 AU from the sun, making the icy Planet Nine one of the most frigid places in the solar system, possibly colder than minus 226 degrees Celsius. Their suits would also have to protect them from the planet's intense gravity that could be many times that of Earth's. Looking across an icy Planet Nine, the explorers might observe exotic ice mountains and sharp ridges towering in the distance. They might see valleys and smooth regions with ice flows both into and out of ancient basins. The mysterious landscape would look like rock, but it is actually water ice that's frozen harder than granite. Because Planet Nine orbits so far from the sun, distant galactic explosions that cause cosmic rays and stellar winds would crash into the strange world, potentially causing the formation of complex molecules on its icy surface. These may include organic tholins that would cause rich colours, such as a deep orange, earthy browns and possibly a deep blood red, similar to what can be found on the surface of Pluto. Due to Planet Nine's colossal mass, heat would generate deep under its surface, causing water ice to spew out of volcanoes. The brave astronaut standing on this icy world might see hundreds of these eruptions far into the distance, causing snow to fall from the sky as water ice freezes in the coldness of space and settles back down to the surface. Standing on an icy Planet Nine would be a truly magnificent experience, but scientists are unsure whether such a giant world could exist in the Kuiper Belt region, as every object that has ever been discovered there so far are icy small bodies. Probably because there wasn't enough material left over in the outer reaches of the solar system that could form large planets such as the hypothetical Planet Nine. So if science suggests that Planet Nine couldn't have formed in the rocky inner solar system, and that it also couldn't have formed in the icy outer regions, then where might it have come from if it does exist? Could it be a rogue planet that once orbited another star, or could it actually be the fifth giant gas planet in our solar system? Find out in part three. I really hope you enjoyed this video, make sure to come back and watch part three of this series, and in the meantime why not check out some of my other videos. Thank you so much for watching, and I'll see you next time.