Scientists have discovered evidence pointing to a hidden planet, Planet Y, in the distant Kuiper Belt beyond Neptune.

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• Planet Y possibly exists beyond Neptune in Kuiper Belt

• Evidence: unusual orbital tilt in 50+ distant icy objects

• Tilt of 15° observed around 80 AU from Earth

• Study published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters

• Planet Y likely smaller than Earth, larger than Mercury

• Not the same as proposed Planet Nine (much farther, heavier)

• Discovery based on computer simulations, not direct imaging

• Hypothesis sparked by strange tilt unexplained by current models

• May orbit 100–200 times Earth-Sun distance, 10°+ inclination

• Chile’s Rubin Observatory may confirm existence in next 2–3 years