Debbie Heade, age 13, of Ballston Lake, New York, for her question:

Is there really a planet beyond Pluto?

This is possible, though so far nobody has been able to prove it. Last year, scienti$ts came upon some evidence that suggests that there may be another planet out beyond Pluto. This was very exciting news and some people mistook the suggested evidence as positive proof. Astronomers were quick to correct this popular mistake and to assure us that a lot more evidence is needed before we can state that there is a tenth planet in the Solar System.

The ninth member of our planetary system was verified in 1930 and named Pluto. But many astronomers suspect that there may be a tenth and perhaps even an eleventh planet, still unidentified. However, at present we have proof only that there are nine. Scientists are very particular about stating the exact truth. If and when they verify a tenth planet, they will be very happy to introduce it to the world. We ordinary mortals must wait for their official announcement.