Kuiper belt

New Horizons spacecraft’s observations suggest the Kuiper Belt extends far beyond its thought boundary, potentially indicating a larger region or a second belt filled with icy, rocky objects, challenging existing solar system models. Credit: SciTechDaily.comNASA’s New Horizons has discovered unexpectedly high dust levels in the Kuiper Belt, hinting at a larger expanse or a new belt, reshaping our understanding of the solar system’s outer edge.New observations from NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft hint that the Kuiper Belt –…

While journeying through the far reaches of the solar system, the New Horizons probe picked up a dusty trail of icy fragments that may indicate that the Kuiper Belt—home to former planet Pluto and countless other objects—is way bigger than we thought.What Is Planet Nine and Why Can’t We Find It?New observations from the NASA mission suggest that the massive donut-shaped outer zone of the solar system, also known as the Kuiper Belt, could extend billions of miles farther than current estimates. There even might be a…

Evidence of internal geochemical activity on the icy dwarf planets Eris and Makemake suggests they may host subsurface oceans, challenging previous notions of these distant worlds as cold and inert. This discovery, made possible by the James Webb Space Telescope, opens new avenues for research on planetary habitability and the dynamic nature of Kuiper Belt objects.The Webb telescope has observed what appear to be young methane deposits on the surfaces of Eris and Makemake.A team co-led by Southwest Research Institute has…

It took nearly 15 years for NASA’s New Horizons mission to reach the point where it is at today, around 50 times farther from the Sun than is Earth. From its unique observational perch, the spacecraft has been studying the frozen depths of the solar system to help piece together the origin story of the planets orbiting the Sun. Astronomers Could Soon Get Warnings When SpaceX Satellites Threaten Their ViewAs the New Horizons spacecraft continues its journey at the outer edge of the solar system, uncertainty lies ahead.…