--- title: Buzz Aldrin: 'Planet 9’ and the Power of Space Exploration description: 'A potential new planet offers great satisfaction for those of us who look for things out there' canonical: https://time.com/4192728/buzz-aldrin-planet-9/ author: Buzz Aldrin article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-01-25T19:11:05.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-22T14:25:07.356Z article:section: Ideas og:title: Buzz Aldrin: ‘Planet 9’ Proves How Important Space Exploration Is og:description: It offers great satisfaction for those of us who look for things out there og:url: https://time.com/4192728/buzz-aldrin-planet-9/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7d18884133e04c3d/69887a7c3c1639c12245bb46/former-astronaut-buzz-aldrin-portrait.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Buzz Aldrin Book Signing og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Buzz Aldrin: ‘Planet 9’ Proves How Important Space Exploration Is twitter:description: It offers great satisfaction for those of us who look for things out there twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7d18884133e04c3d/69887a7c3c1639c12245bb46/former-astronaut-buzz-aldrin-portrait.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Buzz Aldrin: ‘Planet 9’ Proves How Important Space Exploration Is ## Video: There's New Evidence Of A Distant Ninth Planet In Our Solar System [Watch (HLS stream): There's New Evidence Of A Distant Ninth Planet In Our Solar System](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/R5EPZe7o.m3u8) (0:48)  _Published 2016-01-20. Scientists may have discovered another planet in our solar system._  by [Buzz Aldrin](https://time.com/author/buzz-aldrin/)  ## Buzz Aldrin Jan 25, 2016 7:11 PM UTC  Buzz Aldrin signs copies of his book at at Barnes & Noble Booksellers Glendale, Calif. on July 28, 2014. Buzz Aldrin signs copies of his book at at Barnes & Noble Booksellers Glendale, Calif. on July 28, 2014.Tibrina Hobson—FilmMagic/Getty Images  by [Buzz Aldrin](https://time.com/author/buzz-aldrin/)  ## Buzz Aldrin Jan 25, 2016 7:11 PM UTC The recent [big news in space](http://time.com/4184942/planet-9-new-pluto-solar-system/) is that our solar system seems to be bigger than we thought. Evidence for a giant planet lurking far away from our sun in the murky and cold real estate of the outer solar system is enlightening—arguably for good and bad reasons. I’m reminded of an axiom we’re all familiar with: objects in the rearview mirror may appear closer than they are. But in this case the nicknamed “[Planet 9](http://time.com/4186763/new-planet-9-discovery-pluto-poll/)” may be more in our face than we realize. Planet 9 is a should-be-there world. That is, nobody has yet spotted the object directly. But thanks to mathematical modeling and computer simulations, this distant world could have a mass about 10 times that of Earth. If truly a resident of our neighborhood of planets, this supposed planet would make one full orbit around the sun that takes between 10,000 and 20,000 years. Given that a few years ago we demoted Pluto from its planet status, the claim of a “Planet 9” adds up to one fact: the planetary census of our solar system is clearly unfinished business. That’s what space exploration is all about—defining new boundaries. A potential new planet offers great satisfaction for those of us who look for things out there. The good news is that we finally have the ability to detect large objects remote from our home planet. But “Planet 9” is also a reminder of all the solar system’s unknowns, which include asteroids that could hit Earth. NASA recently formed a [Planetary Defense Coordination Office](http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?release=2016-007) to coordinate U.S. agencies and intergovernmental efforts to respond to future near-Earth objects that threaten Earth. Evidence for a possible additional planet is sign we must stay vigilant. As the world [discusses](http://time.com/4187172/planet-9-internet-reactions/) the potential of “Planet 9,” I’ve just begun my 86th trip around the sun—a birthday celebration made all the more meaningful by recently forming the [Buzz Aldrin Space Institute](http://newsroom.fit.edu/2015/08/27/buzz-aldrin-space-institute-formed-at-florida-institute-of-technology/) at the Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne, where we’re developing a complete plan for the future called Cycling Pathways to Occupy Mars. Gaining that foothold is prerequisite, I believe, to furthering humanity’s advances ever-deeper into the solar system. It’s a big universe out there. The prospective “Planet 9” in our own backyard reminds us of that—and assuredly more surprises are in the offing. _Buzz Aldrin, best known for his Apollo 11 moonwalk, holds a doctoral degree in astronautics and continues to wield influence as an international advocate of space science and planetary exploration. Aldrin and co-author, Leonard David, wrote_ [_Mission to Mars – My Vision for Space Exploration_](http://www.amazon.com/dp/1426210175/?tag=timecom-20)_, published in 2013 by the National Geographic Society. Aldrin’s new children’s book,_ [_Welcome to Mars: Making a Home on the Red Planet_](http://www.amazon.com/Welcome-Mars-Making-Home-Planet/dp/1426322062)_, co-authored with Marianne Dyson, released in September 2015._ ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4192728/buzz-aldrin-planet-9/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4192728/buzz-aldrin-planet-9/"},"headline":"Buzz Aldrin: ‘Planet 9’ Proves How Important Space Exploration Is","datePublished":"2016-01-25T19:11:05.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T14:25:07.356Z","description":"'A potential new planet offers great satisfaction for those of us who look for things out there'","url":"https://time.com/4192728/buzz-aldrin-planet-9/","keywords":["Space"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7d18884133e04c3d/69887a7c3c1639c12245bb46/former-astronaut-buzz-aldrin-portrait.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Buzz Aldrin","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/buzz-aldrin/"}],"articleSection":"Ideas","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7d18884133e04c3d/69887a7c3c1639c12245bb46/former-astronaut-buzz-aldrin-portrait.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Buzz Aldrin Book Signing","caption":"Buzz Aldrin signs copies of his book at at Barnes & Noble Booksellers Glendale, Calif. on July 28, 2014.","creditText":"Tibrina Hobson—FilmMagic/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/ideas/","name":"Ideas"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/space/","name":"Space"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4192728/buzz-aldrin-planet-9/","name":"Buzz Aldrin: ‘Planet 9’ Proves How Important Space Exploration Is"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"There's New Evidence Of A Distant Ninth Planet In Our Solar System","description":"Scientists may have discovered another planet in our solar system.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/R5EPZe7o/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2016-01-20T16:18:57.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/R5EPZe7o.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/4192728/buzz-aldrin-planet-9/","duration":"PT48S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/4192728/buzz-aldrin-planet-9/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```