Mike Brown explains, "The Kuiper Belt is a collection of bodies outside the orbit of Neptune that, if nothing else had happened, if Neptune hadn't formed or if things had gone a little bit better, maybe they could have gotten together themselves and formed the next planet out beyond Neptune. But instead, in the history of the solar system, when Neptune formed it led to these objects not being able to get together, so it's just this belt of material out beyond Neptune."
After Tombaugh's discovery, other astronomers guessed that Pluto wasn't alone and there would be more planets to discover in the outer Solar System. But nothing turned up for decades.
Back in 1951, the Dutch astronomer Gerard Kuiper proposed that out beyond Neptune, material was spaced too far apart to form into a single large planet. Instead, he predicted that there would only be a small collection of icy objects. Occasionally one of these objects would wander into the inner Solar System and become a comet.
The idea of this "Kuiper Belt" made sense to astronomers, and it helped explain why there were no large planets further out in the Solar System.
It also conveniently wrapped up another mystery of the Solar System: where do comets come from? Astronomers assumed these objects were out there, but they had no evidence of anything other than Pluto. A few icy objects were found between the orbits of Saturn and Uranus, but nothing out past Neptune.
After searching the region for five years, and using the latest in telescope technology, astronomers David Jewitt and Jane Luu finally confirmed the existence of the Kuiper Belt in 1992.
They found a tiny object, a fraction of the size of Pluto, and the techniques they used unlocked an icy land rush. Six months later, the next object was found. And many more came after that.
Fortunately for us, Kuiper was wrong, and the belt hadn't been cleared out billions of years ago.
It's still a busy place. There have been more than a thousand objects discovered, and it's theorized that there are as many as 100,000 objects larger than 100 km in diameter.
One part Kuiper was definitely right about is that these objects won't last forever.
Mike Brown continues, "We call it a belt, but it's a very wide belt. It's something like 45 degrees in extent across the sky - this big swath of material that's just been churned and churned by Neptune. And these days, instead of making a bigger and bigger body, they're just colliding and slowly grinding down into dust. If we come back in another hundred million years, there'll be no Kuiper Belt left."
Keeping Pluto company out in the Kuiper belt, are many other objects worthy of mention: Quaoar, Makemake, Haumea, Orcus and Eris are all large icy bodies in the Belt. Several of them even have moons of their own. These are all tremendously far away, and yet, very much within reach.
NASA's New Horizons spacecraft will reach this region in 2015, and capture the first ever close up pictures of a Kuiper Belt object, images of the surface of Pluto.
Even more exciting for ancient ice-rock enthusiasts, it looks like our Solar System isn't unique. There have been icy debris belts - other Kuiper Belts - discovered around nine other star systems. There are narrow ones, like our own Solar System, and then wider belts extending much further out. Infrared surveys suggest that at many as 20% of star systems have one of their own.
Vast and unexplored, the Kuiper belt is the source of many comets, and contains ancient ice that was formed at the beginning of the Solar System. Let's hope New Horizons is just the beginning of future decades of research into this mysterious region.
kuiper belt objects by size What Is The Kuiper Belt? | |
949 Likes | 949 Dislikes |
130,025 views views | 253K followers |
Science & Technology | Upload TimePublished on 30 Dec 2013 |
Related keywords
space news in tamil,space news nasa,comet management,fraser cain age,orcus 5e,planets for kids,astronomy domine letra,astronomy news,moonrise kingdom,makemakes freedom,mike brown rugby,fraser cain credentials,quaoar dwarf planet,science magazine,quaoar pronunciation,kuiper gate,astronomy tools,neptune city nj,kuipera pas,universe today podcast,universe 25,universe today newsletter,universe today,orcas island,haumea moons,space jam 2 cast,universe today venus,planets in the sky,quaoar astrologia,mars attacks,planets in retrograde,fraser cain wiki,neptune facts,david jewitt yoga,marsha p johnson,astronomy letra,space news moon,universe quotes,fraser cain wikipedia,comet car,neptune california,dwarf planet haumea,kuiper darkorbit,universe today pluto,kuiper koekange,nasa shirt,moon rocks,solar system star system,pluto tv apk,orcust deck,pluto moons,nasal decongestant,david jewitt ottawa,neptune nj,solar system model,kuiper belt,solar system map,nasal cavity,solar system coloring pages,universe meaning,quaoar god,quaoar asteroid number,eris planet,earth science regents,erissa puteri hashim,jane luuk,universe of obligation,orcustrion,fraser cain bio,mike brown coach,makemake made of,fraser cains actor,fraser cain book,universe tickets,marshmello,universe today jupiter,moon knight dracula,science museum london,clyde tombaugh death,clyde tombaugh imax dome theater,clyde tombaugh wiki,moon landing date,earthlink webmail,kuiper minecraft,nasa florida,orcust harp horror,comethazine walk lyrics,makemake orbit,science fiction lyrics,mike brown granbury,nasa lyrics,makemake nasa,science daily,jane luu astronomer,eris showtime,universe today fraser cain,space news mars,mike brown bengals,planets in retrograde now,space mountain,haumea temperature,solar system scope,haumea louis vuitton,quaoar song,neptune diner,haumea diâmetro,universe today book,astronomy metallica,clyde tombaugh discovered,makemake astrology,universe definition,makemake planeta,science fiction,pluto is a planet,astronomy picture of the day,solar system bracelet,eris greek goddess,fraser cain wife,universe today news,planetside arena,nasal congestion,universe today mars,mike brown motocross,clyde tombaugh new horizons,eris aragoza,quaoar diameter,universe today neptune,david jewitt lawyer ottawa,quaoar planeta,nasa news,fraser cain podcast,space jam,solar system vs star system,universe age,kuiper belt objects definition,universe today years of the planets,clyde tombaugh clayton kershaw,comet loans,moon calendar,makemake libros,marshall plan,science advances,orcustrated babel,is our solar system a binary star system,comet tv,quaoar vulnhub walkthrough,moon palace cancun,science direct elsevier,astronomy domine lyrics,haumea planeta anão,astronomy domine tab,neptune cigars,space news india,platonic,neptune god,kuiper belt oort cloud,clyde tombaugh quotes,comet kart sales,professor jane luu,science bits,universe today mercury,mike brown electric,orcust dingirsu,marshall store,solar system song,space news articles,mike brown hockey,kuiper belt wiki,solar system drawing,neptune mountaineering,earthquake now,nasa hoodie,orcus 5e stats,kuiper belt objects are composed of which substances,space news in hindi,quaoar walkthrough,clyde tombaugh biography,plutons,neptune theater,comet goldfish,space jam 2,mike brown group,astronomy reddit,universe sandbox,orcust,david jewitt cardiologist,clyde tombaugh telescope,erisa,astronomy software,sciencealert,mike brown ford,nasa jobs,dave jewitt central huron,makemake song,universe tattoo,makemake pronounce,erist,clyde tombaugh pluto,fraser cain patreon,fraser cain biography,universe of stories,dr jane luu cardiology,earthquake near me,fraser cain youtube,solar system watch,kuiper belt location,science direct,space newsletter,neptune oyster,planetside 2 player count,nasa space center,sciences po,clyde tombaugh 1930,david jewitt lawyer,haumea fire force,neptune moons,neptune festival,spacex stock,makemake planet,space news websites,kuiper belt nasa,astronomy for dummies pdf,orcustrated return,marshall beach,nasacort,clyde tombaugh facts,jack david jewitt,david jewitt and jane luu,science hub,neptune wellness,universe today saturn,orcus planet,comet cleaner,science kombat,orcus d&d,difference between solar system and star system,nasa astronaut anne mcclain,haumea deusa,universe today twitter,new horizon space mission,orcus ffxiv,space needle,space news podcast,jane luu,planetside,kuiper belt objects,moonlighter,orcus miniature,eris sinbad,astronomy domine chords,quaoar mitologia,fraser cain newsletter,haumea ring,mike brown tfl,fraser cain twitter,universe today uranus,quaoar band,astronomy lyrics,universe background,earthquake california,astronomy and astrophysics,nasal vestibulitis,planets in order,pluto facts,marshmallow,universe today logo,pluto tv,comet lake,space center houston,eartha kitt,jane t luu,kuiper belt pronunciation,solar system for kids,jane luurssen,orcust crescendo,eris facts,come thru,jane luu md,planets in our solar system,universe today app,quaoar vulnhub,fraser cain net worth,eris konosuba,space news daily,marshall ca,astronomy names,mike brown novotel,earth signs,moon sign,new horizons space mission video,orcus demon,pluto at proserpina,universe today patreon,neptune beach,erislandy lara,moonrise festival,kuipers bas,nasal polyps,plutocracy,nasa fcu,universe sandbox free,orcust galatea,planets by size,eris ulang,universe today big bang theory,solar systems or star system,space news app,haumea distancia do sol,mike brown and konstantin batygin,clyde tombaugh discovers pluto,earth lyrics,cometic gaskets,new horizons space mission to pluto,star systems near solar system,earth lil dicky,haumea astrology,marshalls san jose,makemake god,kuiper belt objects have orbits that,kuiper belt object definition,quaoar aspects,mike brown mma,makemake atmosphere,cometriq,neptune ca,fraser cain education,planetside 2,planetside 3,quaoar astrology,fraser cain email,neptune in capricorn,earth wind and fire,orcust knightmare,david c. jewitt,comethazine walk,kuiper belt pronounce,plutonium 239,haumea song,eris morn,space crime,makemake ab,quaoar astrology calculator,kuiper belt new horizons,makemake planet pronunciation,marshawn lynch,haumea caracteristicas,spacex,new horizons mission space probe,universe synonym,earth shoes,neptune planet,space news now,clyde tombaugh family tree,earth fare,marsai martin,comethazine age,earthquake bay area,david jewitt ucla,earthquake today,science research,solar system definition,haumea pronounce,kuipers bjorn,mike brown bears,eris dwarf planet,nasa houston,comet definition,quaoar ctf,space news 2019,eris school,neptune bottle,quaoar astrology meaning,jane luu md portland,pluto god,pluto distance from sun,neptune society,clyde tombaugh education,moonshine,kuiper informatica,planetshakers,space coast credit union,science en español,solar system diagram,earthgang,comet channel,astronomy metallica lyrics,space cowboys,space news asteroid,earthlink,nasal spray,jane luu kuiper belt,marsupial,david jewitt dulwich,astronomy books,space news reddit,mike brown attorney,planets names,dr jane luu,astronomy domine,clyde tombaugh how to pronounce,mike brown shooting,kuiper hennie,marshall islands,comethazine,pluto dog,solar system tattoo,eris name meaning,new horizons space mission results,makemakes,moon phases,comets pizza,moonrise,kuiper relay,fraser cain death threats,clyde tombaugh grave,space race,marshall faulk,plutonic rocks,eris goddess,space news uk,http://spacenews.com,spaceballs,clyde tombaugh family,mars bar,kuiper amazon,neptune park,planets like earth,cometh,pluto greek god,science of the total environment,science fiction movies,fraser cains grange hill,nasa astronauts,makemake facts,kuiper belt objects list,quaoar in natal chart,kuipers arno,haumea wikipedia,makemake pronunciation,jane luu mit,kuipers b,solar system mobile,solar system to scale,comet movie,haumea rotation period,earthquake los angeles,plutonium uses,makemake moon,eri shoppe,moon tonight,universe wallpaper,space force,david jewitt facebook,mike brown astronomer,moonlight lyrics,science news,haumea wiki,science traduccion,solar system facts,nasa amazon fire,kuiper informatica eireli,space movies,marshalls,universe towing,pluto flyby,solar system planets,nasa logo,solar system names,space invaders,solar system stony brook,universe appliance,planets align,marsala wine,universe today earth,kuiper cinturon de,space news australia,mike brown hyundai,eris bidaman,dr david jewitt cardiologist,makemake makana,kuiper pronunciation,universe pictures,mike brown nedbank,earthquake,new horizons space mission,marsha edwards,moonlight sonata,plutonium,solar system order,space station,david jewitt astronomer,spacex launch,eris goddess of chaos,haumea goddess,moon river,jane luu cardiology,space news magazine,marshmello face,science citation index,moonlight,orcus pathfinder,solar system project,mike brown dodge,space shuttle,moon knight,makemake dwarf planets,space camp,planetside 2 reddit,planets in retrograde july 2019,astronomy linux,haumea distance from sun,fraser cain astronomy,clyde tombaugh twitter,kuiper belt objects facts,clyde tombaugh ashes,astronomy wallpaper,planets in order from the sun,moonstone,kuiper project,haumea dwarf planet,pluto roman god,plutonism,earthbound,orcus symbol,planets with rings,moon landing,asteroide quaoar,universe dota,marseille,universe toyota,earthworm sally,
Không có nhận xét nào:
Đăng nhận xét