In order to look at the topics surrounding the Kuiper Belt we must first understand a basic definition of The Kuiper Belt. The Kuiper belt which is also sometimes referred to by astronomers as the Edgeworth Kuiper belt, formed after the early formation of our solar system. After the planets were created the remaining material then scattered out into the solar system forming what we now call The Kuiper Belt a belt made up of icy rock. The Kuiper Belt was named after the astronomer that predicted it was there in the 1950’s whose name was Gerard Kuiper. The Kuiper Belt is an elliptical doughnut shaped object around our solar system.
What is it made of?
This is a disc-shaped region of rock and icy objects which are remnants of our early solar system left behind. The Kuiper Belt has similarities to the belt found in between Mars and Jupiter but the asteroids found in the Kuiper belt are icier while the ones from mars and Jupiter are rockier. The comets that come from the Kuiper Belt are short life comets, in terms of space and time the average life span of a Kuiper Belt comet takes less than 200 years to orbit the sun. It has been said there could be anywhere from hundreds to thousands of icy formations bigger than 100 km or (62 miles) and maybe a trillion or more are said to be in the Kuiper Belt. Another fact about the Kuiper Belt is within the dwarf plants that can be found which have thin atmospheres that when taken too far away from the sun then collapse when there orbit takes them away. There are even a few dwarf planets in the Kuiper Belt that have little moons orbiting them. The Kuiper Belt is not known to have any rings around it like Jupiter or life that we know of.
Where is the Kuiper Belt and what’s near it?
The Kuiper Belt is further away than Neptune’s orbit, which is billions of kilometers away from the Sun. The two most popular or well-known objects of the icy regions are Pluto and Eris. Pluto was the first Kuiper Belt Object to be seen first but after this discovery astronomers then wanted to take a look closer and in 1992 David Jewitt & Jane Luu found other objects. Astronomers continued to view out into the outer reaches of our solar system and more objects began to be discovered beyond Neptune’s orbit. As a result a clearer picture of the Kuiper Belt was being made. More and more findings were made such as, Sedna, which is a large planetoid about three fourths of the size of Pluto, it was found in 2004. There may even be an infinite number more of these ice dwarfs out there. It is said that The Kuiper Belt is the home of comets that orbit the Sun. The comets are smaller than that of Earth’s moon, the Kuiper belt is ring shaped similar to that of a doughnut it extends just past the gas giant of Neptune’s orbit by about 30-55 AU. The Kuiper Belt Spans from 30 to 50 times the distance Earth is from the Sun which can also be interpreted as 2.5 to 4.5 billion miles on an elliptical plane.
What does the future hold for the Kuiper Belt?
Although there is very litter we do know for sure about the Kuiper Belt there is a mission headed to Pluto named New Horizons it will land on the surface of Pluto in 2015. I for one look forward to what new discovery this expedition might find. We are always advancing as time goes on and finding new things as we extend our hand further and further into outer space we once though the earth was flat and now look how far we have come. What we know is ever changing and I think when New Horizons lands we are going to find out a lot more then we knew even before that. Science is ever changing and always exciting I think seeing the Kuiper Belt and what’s around it will bring us one step closer to putting the puzzle piece to the mystery of the universe.
Works Cited
-http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/profile.cfm?Object=KBOs
-http://www.space.com/16144-kuiper-belt-objects.html
Pictures Used
-https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSL11TpDnaxBcyJpaU3VP_IHdmOdjIFfTxGbuU4HBkNfYNlGK9L
- http://www.enjoyspace.com/uploads/news/2014/aout/new_horizon/NHHopkinsPoster_posterSize.jpg
-http://www.howitworksdaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/NASA-JPL-Caltech_-_Double_the_Rubble_PIA11375_pd.jpg
