**Step 1: Examining the Data and Method
Astronomer Terry Long Phan’s team examined archival infrared surveys from IRAS (1983) and AKARI (2006–2011) searching for objects that would have barely moved on the sky over decadal timescales. By taking images on the same date each year to cancel out Earth’s parallax effect, they identified a candidate object that appears in one survey and, 23 years later, is found displaced by about 47.4 arcminutes. This rate of apparent motion is roughly consistent with what one would expect for an object on a very distant orbit (~700 AU) around the Sun. Based on its brightness in these surveys, if it is indeed Planet Nine, its estimated mass would exceed that of Neptune. [1]

Step 2: Evaluating the Evidence
The candidate is intriguing because: • The search methodology accounted for parallax and candidate selection was done with careful time-stamping and follow-up for rapid movers.
• Its measured movement over 23 years fits the predicted slow shift for a body at such a great distance.
• It was found in two independent datasets taken decades apart, which adds credibility.

However, there are significant caveats: • The observed motion is insufficient to fully determine an orbit. In other words, while it is consistent with expectations for Planet Nine, current data does not allow astronomers to definitively separate it from other possibilities (such as unrecognized background objects or artifacts).
• Follow-up observations with contemporary optical telescopes (like the Dark Energy Camera) are needed to confirm its current position, brightness, and orbital parameters.
• Previous surveys (e.g., using WISE) have not turned up a convincing counterpart, which means its repeated appearance over time remains to be unambiguously linked to a Planet Nine candidate. [1][2]

Step 3: Assessing the Likelihood
Based on the available evidence: • The candidate appears to be one of the most promising leads, given that it was detected in two independent surveys and its motion is in the range expected for a distant, slow-moving object.
• That said, without confirmed follow-up observations that precisely establish its orbit and rule out other explanations, the identification as the mysterious Planet Nine remains tentative.

In summary, while the methodology and independent detections lend notable credibility to the article’s claims, the identification of this object as Planet Nine remains unconfirmed pending further observations. It is a promising candidate but should be treated as a preliminary lead rather than a definitive discovery.**

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