The traditional way to find new objects orbiting the sun is by looking at images of the same small region of space and finding faint objects that are moving across the star field and ultimately determining the objects orbital path. I'm thinking that maybe some larger objects that are too faint to be seen might momentarily block the light from background stars that they pass in front of and create a pattern that can be used to calculate the object's orbit. Is this a silly idea. and could this method be used to determine the size of the object?

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Bob DeWoody

My motto: Never do today what you can put off until tomorrow as it may not be required. This no longer applies in light of current events.

This already happens: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occultation#Occultations_by_asteroids

So, it wasn't a bad idea, just not a new one. It seems to me then that, assuming it's there, planet nine should be spotted using this method sooner or later.

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Bob DeWoody

My motto: Never do today what you can put off until tomorrow as it may not be required. This no longer applies in light of current events.

I would assume that it is one of the techniques being used by the Planet-9 hunters

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Bob Smith
Member of Seti PIPPS (Pluto is a Planet Protest Society)
Somewhere in the (un)known Universe?