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Kuiper belt objects

Kuiper belt objects. Rosemary R. What Is The Kuiper Belt?. The Kuiper Belt is a disc-shaped region of icy objects beyond the orbit of N eptune. Found by Gerard Kuiper

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Kuiper belt objects

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  1. Kuiper belt objects Rosemary R.

  2. What Is The Kuiper Belt? • The Kuiper Belt is a disc-shaped region of icy objects beyond the orbit of Neptune. • Found by Gerard Kuiper • It contains debris from the early creation of the solar system. • It contains short-period comets.

  3. Pluto • It was named by an 11-year-old girl who suggested the name to her grandfather • About 2/3 of the diameter of Earth’s moon • 248-year-long elliptical orbit • Can travel as far as 49.3 AUs from the Sun • A thin atmosphere is created around it when it gets close to the sun in its orbit because its surface ices begin to thaw • It has 4 moons, but the largest is named Charon. Charon is so large that sometimes they are referred to as a double dwarf planet system. Pluto and its four moons

  4. Eris • Discovered in January 2005 by Mike Brown, Chad Trujillo and David Rabinowitz • Named after the Greek goddess of discord and strife • Eris was what provoked the debate on whether or not Pluto should be classified as a planet. Since Eris is slightly bigger than Pluto, they were both classified as dwarf planets • Largest dwarf planet in the solar system • Has a diameter between 2,400 and 3,000 kilometers • Has an orbital period of 556.7 years • It has one satellite named Dysnomia

  5. Object 1993 SC • One of the brightest Kuiper Belt objects found so far • 34 AU from the Sun • May travel as far as 48 AU (because of its eccentricity) • 300 kilometer diameter (186 miles) • About a quarter of the size of Charon

  6. Quaoar • It is the largest object that has been found in the solar system since the discovery of Pluto • It is about 42 AU away from us on Earth • It has a nearly circular orbit • About 1250 kilometers in diameter • Discovered in 2002 • Made of rock and ice

  7. Orcus • 680 mile diameter (about half the size of Pluto) • Discovered in February 2004 by Chad Trujillo, Mike Brown, and David Rabinowitz • Orbital distance varies from 30.9 to 48.1 AUs • Opposite of Pluto in its orbit but has the same orbital period • Considered to be a “plutino” because it goes around the sun twice for every three times Neptune does

  8. Bibliography • "Planets: Kuiper Belt & Oort Cloud: Overview." Solar System Exploration. NASA. Web. 04 Jan. 2012. <http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/profile.cfm?Object=KBOs>. • "Kuiper Belt." Map. The Enterprise Mission. Mike Bara. Web. 04 Jan. 2012. <http://www.enterprisemission.com/stardust.htm>. • Fitzsimmons, Alan, Iwan Williams, and DonalO'Ceallaigh. Object 1993 SC. 1994. Photograph. The Kuiper Belt. Calvin J. Hamilton. Web. 4 Jan. 2012. <http://www.solarviews.com/eng/kuiper.htm>. • "Planets: Dwarf Planets: Pluto: Overview." Solar System Exploration. NASA. Web. 09 Jan. 2012. <http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/profile.cfm?Object=Pluto>. • Pluto and Its Moons. 2011. Photograph. Planets: Dwarf Planets: Pluto: Overview. NASA. Web. 2012. <"Planets: Dwarf Planets: Pluto: Overview." Solar System Exploration. NASA. Web. 09 Jan. 2012. .>. • Hamilton, Calvin J. "Kuiper Belt Objects." Views of the Solar System. Web. 04 Jan. 2012. <http://www.solarviews.com/eng/kuiper.htm>. • Trujillo, Chad. "Quaoar." Homepage of Chad Trujillo. Web. 04 Jan. 2012. <http://www.chadtrujillo.com/quaoar/>. • Hamilton, Calvin J. Quaoar'sOrbit. Photograph. Views of the Solar System. Web. 4 Jan. 2012. <http://www.solarviews.com/eng/quaoar.htm>. • Hamilton, Calvin J. "Object 1993 SC." Views of the Solar System. Web. 9 Jan. 2012. <http://www.solarviews.com/cap/comet/kuiper.htm>. • Bacon, Greg. Orcus. Photograph. Orcus (2004 DW). Sol Company. Web. 2012. <http://www.solstation.com/stars/orcus.htm>. • "Orcus (2004 DW)." SolStation.com. Sol Company. Web. 09 Jan. 2012. <http://www.solstation.com/stars/orcus.htm>. • Eris. 2003. Photograph. Views of the Solar System. Calvin J. Hamilton. Web. 2012. <http://www.solarviews.com/eng/eris.htm>. • Hamilton, Calvin J. "Dwarf Planet Eris." Views of the Solar System. Web. 09 Jan. 2012. <http://www.solarviews.com/eng/eris.htm>.

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