The Kuiper (K-eye-per) Belt is similar to the asteroid belt found between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, but it is 20 times as wide and somewhere between 20-200 times more massive. At least three dwarf planets are located in the Kuiper belt: Pluto, Haumea and Makemake. Also, some of the solar system’s moons are thought to have originated there, such as Neptune’s Triton and Saturn’s Phoebe. The belt is thick in most places. The Kuiper belt shouldn’t be confused with the hypothesized Oort cloud, which is a thousand times more distant. The objects within the belt, along with the members of the scattered disc and any potential Hill cloud or Oort cloud objects are known collectively as trans-Neptunian Objects (TNO). The Kuiper belt contains millions of icy objects ranging in size from small lumps of ice to large objects .
There are structures similar to the Kuiper belt around at least nine other stars according to astronomers. The Kuiper Belt is as old as the Solar System. It was during the formation of our Solar System that most of rocks, dusts and gases were used up to form the Sun and the 8 planets. The remaining rocks, dusts and gases were then swept away into the Sun or the outer reaches of the Solar System. Someday we will know more about the Kuiper Belt...it's just too darn far away to research easily!
14 Comments
Ema Martinez
12/7/2016 03:35:53 pm
The pics were so amazing! I never knew that the Kuiper Belt was as old as the solar system! I've been pronouncing Kuiper wrong this whole time, silly me. :o :)
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Katelyn ashton
12/7/2016 03:39:10 pm
I never knew how to say kuiper.
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Meirah
12/7/2016 03:39:58 pm
Hey, I remember learning about that!!!
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Avery Peterson
12/7/2016 03:59:15 pm
These are so cool pictures. I like that there is more than one Dwarf planet
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12/7/2016 04:12:40 pm
Wow the kuiper belt is so cool and is big. Loved the pictures!!!:):):):):0:0
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Ryan
12/7/2016 04:57:03 pm
I always thought Kuiper was pronounced as (K-u-per) not (K-eye-per)! :)
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Emmalee
12/7/2016 04:59:21 pm
Wow! That is so cool about the Kuiper Belt!
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Haley
12/7/2016 05:50:06 pm
nice facts! I like Triton.
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sydney
12/7/2016 05:50:50 pm
So the kuiper belt is aroud 14.5 millon years old
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Paige
12/7/2016 06:54:31 pm
Wow the Kuiper Belt is very interesting!
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jenna
12/7/2016 06:56:17 pm
wow it is super old 14.5 million years old!!!!
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zaya
12/7/2016 07:57:00 pm
how do you always find these amazing pictures?!
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Tabitha
12/7/2016 09:19:46 pm
I can not wait till our telescopes are stronger so we can find out more about our solar system.
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kailee
12/9/2016 07:36:37 am
the pictures look so cool
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Mrs. TaylorI love science! Everything about the world is interesting and never boring. I love to study plants, animals, insects, and people. My favorite subjects are my students who are the most unique organisms on the planet! Categories |