The knowledge of our solar system ends with Neptune, and possibly Pluto — though it is seldom remembered. While astronomers continue researching and looking for more beyond, common folks like us tend to stay in our middle school textbooks. Looking back, I realize that I have not once been taught about planets apart from our own planetary system. Today, I aim to highlight one of the most important regions of our astronomical knowledge.
While imagining the solar system, it starts in the centre with the Sun making our way outward with Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars. After Mars is the asteroid belt. Then comes Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. But what’s after that? Pluto? Well, yes, but a better answer would be the KUIPER BELT.
The Kuiper Belt is often referred to as the icy cousin of the asteroid belt, but their similarities mostly stop at their location. The Kuiper Belt is significantly larger than the asteroid belt due to its greater distance from the Sun. Because the Kuiper Belt is located much farther from the Sun, the majority of the bodies found there are icy objects and ice dwarfs.
For many years, the knowledge we had of this icy ring was minimal due to the overwhelming distance from us and the darkness it is enveloped in. This distance causes any light hitting the belt to take several hours to return, and the light that does make it back is pretty faint. This requires us to have larger, better telescopes to trace its movements.
Martin Duncan(American astronomer) used the term ”Kuiper Belt” to describe a group of small worlds beyond Neptune. This was named after Gerard Kuiper, who proposed an idea relating to the area beyond Neptune. He stated, “The disk of dusty gas that coalesced into the planets must have contained solid matter beyond the orbits of the four giant planets.”
With recent telescopic surveys, we now know that there are more than 5,000 icy bodies beyond Neptune, 20% of which lie in the Kuiper belt. The temperatures of the area can go below 50 Kelvin which is -220°C or -370° F. Even with this temperature the energy needed for orbiting the Sun requires energy which ultimately makes them hot.
Though distant and dark, the Kuiper Belt enlightens the intricacy of our solar system. It is actively changing our definitions of planets and enhances our understanding of planetary formation. As technology advances, this belt is a gateway to uncovering the origins of our solar system and the universe.
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