New “Space Snowman” Discovery Shakes Up Solar System Theories
A recent study exploring the development of comets suggests that objects in deep space, such as the Kuiper Belt Object 486958 Arrokoth, might act as…
Kuiper Belt News
The Kuiper Belt is a vast region of the solar system that extends beyond the orbit of Neptune, roughly from 30 to 55 astronomical units (AU) from the Sun. This region is similar to the asteroid belt but far larger, both in breadth and content. It contains many small bodies made primarily of ice and rock, remnants from the early solar system. The Kuiper Belt is notable for its population of dwarf planets, such as Pluto, and other smaller objects. These celestial bodies are crucial for understanding the formation and evolution of the solar system. The Kuiper Belt was hypothesized by astronomer Gerard Kuiper in 1951, though it wasn’t directly observed until the 1990s. Studies of the Kuiper Belt have implications for planetary science and theories about how the outer planets formed and migrated.
Unexpected Discovery by NASA’s New Horizons Redefines Solar System’s Outer Edge
NASA’s New Horizons has discovered unexpectedly high dust levels in the Kuiper Belt, hinting at a larger expanse or a new belt, reshaping our understanding…
Astronomers Uncover Surprising Activity on the Dwarf Planets Eris and Makemake
The Webb telescope has observed what appear to be young methane deposits on the surfaces of Eris and Makemake. A team co-led by Southwest Research…
From the Abyss of Space: Webb Observes 3 Dwarf Planets in the Kuiper Belt
Using the James Webb Space Telescope, astronomers observed three dwarf planets in the Kuiper Belt, discovering light hydrocarbons and complex molecules. These findings enhance our…
Mound Mysteries in the Kuiper Belt: Shared Origin of Arrokoth’s Giant Structures?
These “Building blocks” of this Kuiper belt object may point to key details of streaming instability model of planetesimal formation. A new study led by…
Scientists Solve Colorful Kuiper Belt Mystery
The Kuiper Belt, a vast disk brimming with icy bodies including Pluto and located just beyond Neptune’s orbit in our solar system, exhibits an intriguing…
Webb Space Telescope To Examine Planetary Leftovers in the Solar System Graveyard
These icy bodies are the leftovers from planet formation. In the distant reaches of the solar system lies a region called the Kuiper Belt. Beyond…
Researchers Discover Orbital Patterns of Trans-Neptunian Objects Vary Based on Their Color
Data collected can be used to provide new insights into the evolution of the Kuiper Belt, and the larger solar system. Trans-Neptunian Objects (TNOs), small…
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope to Examine Objects in the Solar System Graveyard
These icy bodies are the leftovers from planet formation. In the distant reaches of the solar system lies a region called the Kuiper Belt. Beyond…
Evolutionary Origin of Flattened “Snowman” Kuiper Belt Object Arrokoth
The small Kuiper Belt object (486958) Arrokoth, encountered by NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft on January 1, 2019, is so far the most distant and most…
NASA Astrobiology Has Discovered a Ring of Material Around Star HD 191098
Researchers supported in part by the NASA Astrobiology Program have discovered a ring of material around the star HD 191098 that resembles our solar system’s…
Meet the Icy World ‘Arrokoth’ From a Billion Miles Beyond Pluto in the Kuiper Belt
In a fitting tribute to the farthest flyby ever conducted by spacecraft, the Kuiper Belt object 2014 MU69 has been officially named Arrokoth, a Native…
NASA Publishes First Kuiper Belt Flyby Science Results
NASA’s New Horizons mission team has published the first profile of the farthest world ever explored, a planetary building block and Kuiper Belt object called…
New Horizons Reaches Most Distant Target in History
NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft flew past Ultima Thule in the early hours of New Year’s Day, ushering in the era of exploration from the enigmatic…
New Horizons Makes First Detection of Kuiper Belt Object Ultima Thule
NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft has made its first detection of its next flyby target, the Kuiper Belt object nicknamed Ultima Thule, more than four months…
Astronomers Discover Exiled Asteroid in Outer Reaches of Solar System
An international team of astronomers has used ESO telescopes to investigate a relic of the primordial Solar System. The team found that the unusual Kuiper…
New Horizons Spacecraft Captures Record-Breaking Images
NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft recently turned its telescopic camera toward a field of stars, snapped an image – and made history. The routine calibration frame…
New Data Hints That 2014 MU69 Might Have a Small Moon
Astronomers were already excited to learn this summer that New Horizons’ next flyby target – a Kuiper Belt object a billion miles past Pluto —…