I watch a lot of science content online and I always see stuff like “scientists have found a planet 100 light years away that is twice the mass of earth made out of solid methane and rains diamonds at 400mph” and then others that say “scientists think there could be a ninth planet passed Neptune but we’re not sure, maybe, who knows?” Like, how do we know so many specifics of these incredibly far off worlds but can’t figure out what’s in our own relative backyard?
In: Planetary Science
It’s a bit like knowing what the moon looks like but not being sure if there is an ant somewhere in your house.
The moon is big and bright despite how far away it is, so it’s easy to find and learn about. Ants are small and hide in the darkness.
Similarly, those planets around other stars are *around other stars* so we know where to look because stars are bright and easy to see.
If there is another planet in our Solar System it will be small and dark (we have already found all the big ones) and it will very far away like Pluto.
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