In the Kuiper belt, among other elements, plutinos such as Ixion and Orcus have been detected, as well as a classic object named Varuna.
Kuiper Belt is the expression used to identify the ring made up of icy bodies that is located outside the orbit of the planet Neptune . This circumstellar disk unfolding in the outer solar system is also often called the Edgeworth-Kuiper belt .
The most widespread name immortalizes the surname of the prestigious astronomer of Dutch origin and American citizenship Gerard Peter Kuiper , who investigated and made interesting contributions that led to the recognition of elements located further away than Neptune , as well as at the time Kenneth Edgeworth had made predictions in relation to individual pieces that appeared beyond said planet . However, there are astronomical experts who suggest not giving them credit, claiming that their analyzes were not decisive in learning about this structure whose components are, on occasion, mentioned as a trans-Neptunian object .
It should be noted that, over time, thousands of units have been observed there. The dwarf planet Pluto is perhaps the most famous of the elements grouped in the Kuiper belt .
Discovery of the Kuiper Belt
Various astronomers theorized and investigated a lot until the discovery of the Kuiper belt .
As noted by reconstructing key stages for this discovery, Frederick C. Leonard was the first specialist to consider that the trans-Neptunian ensemble was not limited to the mere appearance of Pluto . His colleague Armin O. Leuschner also took up the matter.
Later, Edgeworth focused on the distribution of materials seen in the primordial solar nebula and came to the conclusion that there were much smaller bodies that, after moving away from its sphere, continued their evolution as comets .
Gerard Kuiper then proposed a hypothesis, eventually discarded, that focused on the size of Pluto and its ability to disperse bodies in the direction of the Oort cloud or even remove them from the solar system .
Later, Fred Lawrence Whipple (promoter of the idea of the existence of a "comet belt" ) and Charles Kowal (who detected Chiron , which orbits between Saturn and Uranus ) became involved.
To discover the Kuiper Belt , however, the work of David Jewitt and Jane Luu were essential, who carried out surveys using telescopes from an observatory in the United States and another located in Chile .
The solar system, in the center of which is a large and luminous star popularly called the sun, is located within the Milky Way.
Thanks to the modernization of technological resources and more precise explorations, it was found that this area does not constitute the starting point of comets defined as having a short period, but that these come from a sector known in Spanish as a dispersed or diffuse disk where it stands out. For example, Eris , a dwarf planet that NASA came to recognize, at one point, as the tenth of the planets grouped within the solar system .
Beyond Pluto
Beyond Pluto , as has been conjectured for a few months, there could be a strip that could well be understood as an extension of the Kuiper belt that has not been explored to date or could be another asteroid belt . Suspicions and the impetus to continue investigating came from data returned by the New Horizons space probe , which continues to receive dust particles as it progresses through the depths of space.
Work continues to reveal the mysteries, but specialists are already gathering evidence of the existence of a large and distant planet with dimensions similar to those of Earth . This novelty was announced by a team based at the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan , whose members assume that, if the colossal planet existed, it could not support life due to its very low temperatures. In order to advance this issue, it was decided to extend the New Horizons exploration mission , leaving it in the Kuiper belt until the years 2028 or 2029 .
Composition, structure, location and extent of the Kuiper belt
For fans of findings, theories and announcements related to the solar system and the mysteries of space, it is exciting to stay up to date with the composition, structure, location, extension and other details of the Kuiper belt .
Outside Neptune's orbit, the ring, or circumstellar disk, called the Kuiper belt, unfolds.
In relation to this, it should be mentioned that in this region, whose structure is dynamic and stable, dwarf planets (such as Haumea and Makemake ), comets and fragments of both ice and rock coexist. There is also a minor solar system body that has been identified as Quaoar .
Regarding the trans-Neptunian object named Sedna, there is no consensus, since while some consider it part of the Kuiper belt , other experts maintain that this body is too far from the sun and there is no unanimity about its location: for some it is in the cloud of Oort and there are those who place it in the dispersed disk .
Without a doubt, this strip still continues to generate great unknowns and is the subject of constant studies that, for example, aim to explain the anomalies noticed in the orbits and what the distribution or distribution of the elements that make it up correspond to. There is a will and commitment, therefore, to expand explorations to try to obtain, for example, data of interest about the beginnings of the solar system and strong signals to be able to rule out or encourage the idea of finding some form of life there.
Link of interest:
https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/kuiper-belt/sp/