Why the Planet X is making headlines

A NEW MOVIE?

No silly, it’s the ninth planet in our solar system. Well, 'alleged' ninth planet.

OK. WHAT ABOUT PLANET X?

Well, a new hypothesis suggests that this potential extra planet could be responsible for mass extinctions on Earth — including the one that wiped out most of the dinosaurs.

MASS EXTINCTIONS?

Yes. A few experts have suggested that Planet X triggers comet showers. These showers could be powerful enough to travel towards Earth's orbit and ultimately strike the planet and cause mass extinctions.

SO PLANET X IS RESPONSIBLE FOR DINO’S DISAPPEARANCE?

That’s what the experts are saying. Newer research and palaeontological records supported the idea of regular comet showers from Planet X dating back 500 million years ago.

THAT’S FASCINATING!

It is. Did you know that ever since life emerged on Earth 3.5 billion years ago, five mass extinctions have collectively eliminated 99.9% of all the species that have ever lived on the planet?

FIVE MASS WIPE-OUTS?

Yes, the last major extinction event that killed the majority of life on Earth was the meteor that wiped out the dinosaurs. That was 66 million years ago.

WOW! SO THE NEXT ONE IS DUE?

Very much, but Planet X has to pass through the Kuiper belt to create another comet storm. And this happens after approximately 27 million years.

BUT I DON’T WANNA BE WIPED AWAY IN A CATACLYSMIC EVENT!

Don’t worry. Experts calculated that if there was a life-threatening comet shower headed for us, we’d probably have one to three years’ worth of notice.

GEE! FLY TO THE MOON IN THREE YEARS?

Well, NASA’s Curiosity rover is exploring life on Mars.