In 1943, Astronomer Kenneth Edgeworth hypothesized that comets and larger bodies might exist in the region beyond Neptune. After that in 1951, Dutch–American astronomer Gerard Kuiper predicted the existence of a belt in that region. Later that region came to be known as Edgeworth-Kuiper belt.



What is the Kuiper belt and where is it located?



The Kuiper belt is an elliptical plane (doughnut shaped ring) in space which lies beyond Neptune. The inner edge of Kuiper belt is about 30AU away from the sun and outer edge is about 50AU away from the sun. So the Kuiper belt is 20AU thick.













How was the Kuiper belt formed? The Kuiper belt is similar to the asteroid belt which exists between Mars and Jupiter. (For more details about asteroid belt, check one of our previous blogs “THE ASTEROID BELT” ). The objects in the Asteroid belt are rocky but in case of the Kuiper belt, they tend to be more icy rather than rocky. Therefore this region is known as the icy worlds. The ice are frozen volatiles (gases) such as nitrogen (N2), methane (CH4), ammonia (NH3).How was the Kuiper belt formed?









The asteroid Ceres is the dwarf planet, the largest one in the inner solar system which is a part of asteroid belt. In the outer solar system, Pluto is a dwarf planet. The Kuiper belt is home to dwarf planets like Pluto, Haumea and Makemake. Pluto and Eris are the largest two objects in the Kuiper belt, each with a diameter of about 2,380 kilometer.







New Horizons is the first mission to study the Kuiper belt and the Pluto system. New Horizons was launched on January 19, 2006. It is the first spacecraft to explore the Icy world. Because of New Horizons, we are able to understand the world at edge of the solar system. This mission is helping us get answers of some basic questions about the geology, atmospheres on these objects, surface properties etc. On July 14, 2015 the New Horizons flew 12,500 kilometer above the surface of Pluto.



Fascinating facts about the Kuiper belt:



1. The Kuiper Belt is also known as Edgeworth-Kuiper belt.

2. The thickness of Kuiper belt is 20AU. The inner edge of Kuiper belt is about 30AU away from the sun.

3. The object in the Kuiper belt are icy rather than rocky, therefore it’s known as The Icy Worlds.

4. Scientists estimate that hundreds of thousands of icy objects with size ranging from small chunks of ice to more than 100 kilometer in diameter travel around the sun within this region.

5. The Kuiper belt is home to dwarf planets like Pluto, Eris, Haumea and Makemake.

6. In 2006, Eris and Pluto were reclassified as dwarf planets.

7. The largest Kuiper belt objects other than Pluto and Eris are Makemake, Haumea, Varuna and Ixion. They are also called as Trans-Neptunian Objects (TNOs).

8. The Kuiper belt objects can give us valuable insights about the birth of our solar system.

9. In the main body of the Kuiper belt there could be more than trillion comet nuclei.

10. New Horizons is the first spacecraft to explore the dwarf planet Pluto. Most of the objects in the Kuiper belt are debris. After formation of our solar system, the remaining objects (debris) remained safe from gravitational pull of planets like Jupiter, Saturn and Neptune and started orbiting the sun slowly. The Kuiper belt objects are remnants from the beginning of our solar system which can give us valuable insights about the birth of our solar system.The asteroid Ceres is the dwarf planet, the largest one in the inner solar system which is a part of asteroid belt. In the outer solar system, Pluto is a dwarf planet. The Kuiper belt is home to dwarf planets like Pluto, Haumea and Makemake. Pluto and Eris are the largest two objects in the Kuiper belt, each with a diameter of about 2,380 kilometer.New Horizons is the first mission to study the Kuiper belt and the Pluto system. New Horizons was launched on January 19, 2006. It is the first spacecraft to explore the Icy world. Because of New Horizons, we are able to understand the world at edge of the solar system. This mission is helping us get answers of some basic questions about the geology, atmospheres on these objects, surface properties etc. On July 14, 2015 the New Horizons flew 12,500 kilometer above the surface of Pluto.Fascinating facts about the Kuiper belt:1. The Kuiper Belt is also known as Edgeworth-Kuiper belt.2. The thickness of Kuiper belt is 20AU. The inner edge of Kuiper belt is about 30AU away from the sun.3. The object in the Kuiper belt are icy rather than rocky, therefore it’s known as The Icy Worlds.4. Scientists estimate that hundreds of thousands of icy objects with size ranging from small chunks of ice to more than 100 kilometer in diameter travel around the sun within this region.5. The Kuiper belt is home to dwarf planets like Pluto, Eris, Haumea and Makemake.6. In 2006, Eris and Pluto were reclassified as dwarf planets.7. The largest Kuiper belt objects other than Pluto and Eris are Makemake, Haumea, Varuna and Ixion. They are also called as Trans-Neptunian Objects (TNOs).8. The Kuiper belt objects can give us valuable insights about the birth of our solar system.9. In the main body of the Kuiper belt there could be more than trillion comet nuclei.10. New Horizons is the first spacecraft to explore the dwarf planet Pluto.





Written by:

Kanchan Ramteke