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From: jtk@mordor.UUCP (Jordan Kare)
Newsgroups: net.space
Subject: Re: Re:  Tenth planet
Message-ID: <4939@mordor.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 8-Jan-86 00:11:13 EST
Article-I.D.: mordor.4939
Posted: Wed Jan  8 00:11:13 1986
Date-Received: Thu, 9-Jan-86 06:18:38 EST
References: <> <923@nmtvax.UUCP> <2162@aecom.UUCP>
Reply-To: jtk@mordor.UUCP (Jordin Kare)
Organization: S-1 Project, LLNL
Lines: 26
Keywords: Nemesis, Planet X
Summary: not Nemesis, nor George

>> 
>>      Perhaps the "tenth planet" is not actually a planet, but perhaps a weak
>> stellar companion to Sol, already known as "Nemesis".
>
>	Named (or so claimed by the author of the paper) such because if such
>a companion is not found, the publication will prove to be HIS nemesis.
>

	Nemesis can't be the "tenth planet" affecting Neptune's 
orbit, as it would be too far away (and would move both Neptune 
and the rest of the solar system including the sun by the same amount).

	There is a theory that Planet X (either "ex" or
"ten" depending on how much you like Roman numerals :-) exists, and
has a peculiar orbit that precesses in such a way as to disturb
the cometary cloud and cause comet showers (and extinctions)
every thirty or so million years.  This is an alternative to the
Nemesis theory, but it doesn't work, on various (rather complicated) 
celestial mechanics grounds, leaving Nemesis as the leading hypothesis.  

	Also, "Nemesis" was not the first choice for the name
of the companion star.  Since (if it exists) it was responsible
for killing off the dinosaurs, first choice was to name it after the
most famous mythological dragon killer and call it "George".

		-- A Muller Group Nemesis Hunter