How Planet Nine inspired a hidden world in Terrian Chronicles
The mysterious Planet Nine has baffled scientists for years. But for creators, it’s a source of inspiration, even in the fantasy genre.
Something out there is pulling the strings. We’ve charted the solar system down to the dust. Or so we thought. But strange patterns in the outer reaches suggest we’ve missed something big—literally. An object five to ten times the mass of Earth. Unseen. Undetected. But unmistakably there.
Astronomers call it Planet Nine—a ghost planet so far out it takes 10,000 to 20,000 years to make a single lap around the Sun.
It might be the most important planet we’ve never seen.
Why do we think it’s out there?
In 2016, Caltech astronomers Mike Brown and Konstantin Batygin noticed something odd. A handful of trans-Neptunian objects, chunks of rock and ice way beyond Pluto, shared eerily similar orbits. Too similar to be a coincidence.
They weren’t just drifting. Something nudged them. Hard. Something big was pulling on them, and it was something they couldn’t see.
That’s where the mysterious Planet Nine comes in
The theory is simple: Planet Nine is a massive planet on a stretched-out orbit, dragging these distant objects into alignment. And it’s doing it from 400 to 800 AU away. (One AU is the distance from Earth to the Sun. Neptune is only 30 AU out.)
So, we’re talking deep freaking space.
This isn’t the first time we’ve looked for a ghost
The idea of a hidden planet isn’t new. It’s been around for over a century:
-
Planet X: In the late 1800s, scientists noticed Uranus wasn’t moving the way it should. They figured another planet must be out there. This led to Pluto, but Pluto was too small to account for the wobble.
-
Nemesis: In the 1980s, a theory floated around about a “death star” companion to the Sun that kicked off mass extinctions by flinging comets at Earth. Spoiler: No one ever found it.
-
Tyche: A Jupiter-sized planet possibly lurking in the Oort Cloud. Once again, no dice.
Most of those ideas fizzled out. But Planet Nine sticks because it’s not based on guesswork. Instead, cold, hard math points right to it. We just need to find it.
So where the hell is it?
Still out there and still hiding, if you want the short answer. We haven’t found it because it’s cold, dark, and barely reflects light. Even powerful telescopes have trouble spotting something that dim and slow. But astronomers are still looking, especially with the Vera C. Rubin Observatory about to come online.
If Planet Nine’s real, it changes everything. Not just how we understand the solar system, but how we think about what’s possible in the space we thought we already mapped. And it begs the question: Are we missing anything else?
A wild card in the system
If it exists, Planet Nine isn’t just a big rock like Pluto. Or a big chunk of ice, to be more accurate. It’s a wild card. A gravitational disruptor capable of shaping the orbits of distant objects, rearranging the Kuiper Belt, and maybe triggering cosmic chaos we haven’t even figured out yet.
And if that’s the case… maybe it’s done more than just move space debris.
Planet Nine’s influence in the Terrian Chronicles
The Five Worlds define the Renegades Epic, but so does shock value. Of all the books I’ve written, Tarja Titan: Sophomore Year stands out as the most unique. It’s a wild ride, so much, that it may turn off some readers since there’s hardly a fantasy subgenre it doesn’t hit.
Of course, the good old paranormal/urban/small-town fantasy is all alive and well. Elemental magic and sword and sorcery remain prevalent, as always. So does its portal fantasy leaning, since it’s how one enters the Sixth World.
But this world isn’t like the Five Worlds. One doesn’t enter it through an ancient, crumbling archway. Heck, one must either hold the Witch gene or be of Witch descent, not Elemental. And one may only access it through special areas of higher magical concentrations. In Sophomore Year, this concentration is in tiny New Somerset, Ohio.
Why isn’t the Sixth World part of the Five Worlds?
For one, it’s not a world even some of the most notable Elementals know about. Since only those who possess the Witch gene have direct access, it’s not the easiest world to enter. One would need a connection, and that connection must be a Witch if they’re granted access, but even then, they’re outsiders.
Even if they’re of Witch descent, like Braden, the world’s inhabitants may look on them with disdain. These people are beyond protective of their world and selective of who they welcome into it. But even then, they’re not keen on other Mage races (Vampire, Fae, Hunter, Werewolf) sticking around.
Oh, and note that Elementals in the world of Catenary have stolen the term Mage to refer to themselves, in case you’re wondering why I use the word Mage in each of my Catenarian Chronicles titles.
So, Gaea shrouds itself in mystery, from its unusual entrance and exit points to how Witches primarily inhabit the place. So, if you don’t possess Witchy powers, then steer clear of Gaea or face the consequences. But don’t worry too much, as I have a nice, little series outlined to further explore this world.
Want a crash course into the Terrian Chronicles?
