Kuiper belt
Outer solar debris
The Kuiper belt is a region of the solar system beyond Neptune, roughly thirty to fifty times Earth's distance from the sun, populated by icy bodies and dwarf planets including Pluto.
It represents the remnants of the solar system's formation: Astronomers discovered hundreds of objects in the Kuiper belt.
Named for Dutch-American astronomer Gerard Kuiper, who theorized its existence in 1951.
Beyond the eighth planet
- dwarf planetsSmall orbiting spherical bodies
- PlutoKuiper Belt dwarf world
- ErisGreek personification of conflict
- SednaDistant minor planet
Theoretical cometary halo
- heliosphereSun-dominated space bubble
- solar nebulaGas cloud forming stars
- NeptuneEighth planet or sea deity
- deep spaceRemote regions beyond planets
Science of celestial objects
- discoveryAct of finding something
- New HorizonsUndiscovered opportunities ahead
- occultationCelestial body blocking another
- surveysSystematic information gathering
spectroscopy · albedo · composition · ice · methane · water ice · ammonia · surface temperature
Having brief duration
- centaursHorse-bodied humanoids
- nucleusCentral controlling part
- outgassingReleasing trapped gas
- sublimationSolid to gas directly
Flat and circular
- inner edgeInnermost boundary line
- outer edgeBounding line of something
- torusDoughnut-shaped solid
- inclinationDisposition toward something
trans-Neptunian
Beyond the eighth planet
- dwarf planetsSmall orbiting spherical bodies
- PlutoKuiper Belt dwarf world
- ErisGreek personification of conflict
Oort cloud
Theoretical cometary halo
- heliosphereSun-dominated space bubble
- solar nebulaGas cloud forming stars
- NeptuneEighth planet or sea deity
astronomy
Science of celestial objects
- discoveryAct of finding something
- New HorizonsUndiscovered opportunities ahead
- occultationCelestial body blocking another
surveys · spectroscopy · albedo · composition · ice · methane · water ice · ammonia · surface temperature
short-period
Having brief duration
- centaursHorse-bodied humanoids
- nucleusCentral controlling part
- outgassingReleasing trapped gas
disk-shaped
Flat and circular
- inner edgeInnermost boundary line
- outer edgeBounding line of something
- torusDoughnut-shaped solid
inclination · eccentricity · perihelion · aphelion · snowline
Kuiper beltasteroid belt
Planetary rubble orbit zone
inner planets · Mercury · Venus · Earth · Mars