Debate rages on over recent 'Planet X' claims

In the same group, astronomer Bruce Macintosh at Stanford University noted the “astonishing coincidence” that the first two trans-Neptunian objects discovered by ALMA would be found right next to bright stars. More likely, Macintosh guessed, is that the putative objects are actually “some residual artifact”—mirages produced in the data by quirks in ALMA’s complex calibration methods.
Vlemmings insists that he and his colleagues have already carefully checked these and several other scenarios, but to no avail. Whatever they are, the objects simply seemed to be too bright and pointlike to be explained away as far-off galaxies, and their proximity to bright stars, he says, actually helped the data calibration and reduced the likelihood of observational errors. “Still, we are certainly open to such options and have several times sent out queries to ALMA colleagues [asking] if they could conceive of how such point sources could be artificially created,” Vlemmings says. “None have yet said they think it could be done.” The trial of these claims in the court of public opinion has not come without its perks, Vlemmings adds. Although the sudden publicity was unwanted, “the most helpful feedback so far has been numerous offers to observe with other instruments.” With a little help from the rest of the astronomy community, evidence for—or against—the next Planet X may not be so far-off after all.