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In the early 1900's, American astronomer DR. William Henry Pickering(1858-1938) postulated the existence of
several hypothethical bodies beyond Pluto which he named O, P, Q, R, S, plus T and U within the orbit of Pluto. He based their
orbits on a study of long-period comets.
Planet O with a mass twice the Earth's was located at 51.9 AU with a period of 373.5 years and a magnitude of 11.5. P was
initially at 123 AU but later reduced to 67.7 AU and its period reduced from 1400 to 556.6 years(Eris?). It's mass, however,
was 20 times that of the Earth's and its magnitude 11. After Pluto's discovery, P was finally revised to a distance of 75.5 AU,
a period of 656 years, 50 Earth masses, an eccentricity of 0.265, and an inclination of 37°.
Planet S was put at 48.3 AU with a period of 336 years, 5 Earth masses, and magnitude 15. Planet T had a distance of 32,8 AU
and a period of 188 years. Planet U, his innermost prediction, was at 5.79 AU with a period of 13.93 years or just barely
outside Jupiter's orbit.
It is his planet Q which is so very interesting, as well as R. He gave R a period of 500,000 years(more likely half that period)
with 3% of the Sun's mass so that it would border between being a very large planet or very small star(brown dwarf?).
He was certain of Q, however, which had 6% of the Sun's mass or 60 times that of Jupiter and which was located at a distance of 875 AU. He gave Q a period of 25,900 years or equal to the precession of the Earth's poles
and a high inclination to the ecliptic of 86°. Its eccentricity is a high 0.54. In 1900 its North Node was at 3°Cancer(now 4°) and its tropical position at 6° Cancer(1900)
and 29° above the ecliptic. It revolves direct in the Zodiac but retrograde with respect to the Galactic Equator. This places it now in the constellation of the Twins -Gemini.
If Q is a reality as Pickering suggests, then ours is a Twin Solar System(with R as a third component).
Author's Note: Such a body as Pickering's Q should be very easy to spot with today's telescopes. The only difficulty would perhaps be the high inclination(86°) to the ecliptic,
but even this is covered by such scopes as Iras(1983) and Kepler or Wise(more recent) which can produce all-sky surveys. Could it be that it already has been discovered but not
disclosed to the public? It's location, however, is a matter of dispute. There are two main locations considered, one in Sagittarius near the galactic center and the other in Gemini or
early tropical Cancer.
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