Tag Archive for 'Trans-Neptunian object'

Beyond Neptune, there is a large disk of small objects, called the Kuiper Belt and beyond that is the Oort Cloud, home of the comets. This artwork shows a section of Kuiper Belt, crowded with the icy cores of potential comets. Image credit: M. Kornmesser / ESO.

Massive Disk of Trans-Neptunian Objects Casts Doubt on Planet Nine

Jan 23, 2019 by News Staff

In 2016, Caltech astronomers showed that six distant solar system objects (2007 TG422, 2013 RF98, 2004 VN112, 2012 VP113, 2012 GB174 and a minor planet...

This image of 2015 TG387 was taken by the Subaru Telescope on October 13, 2015. Image credit: Dave Tholen / Chad Trujillo / Scott Sheppard.

Astronomers Find New Extreme Dwarf Planet: 2015 TG387

Oct 5, 2018 by News Staff

Astronomers have discovered a new dwarf planet in the Oort Cloud, a spherical ‘cloud’ of frozen objects surrounding the Solar System and extending...

An artist’s concept of the minor planet Sedna; the Sun appears as an extremely bright star instead of a large, warm disc observed from Earth; in the distance is a hypothetical small moon, which scientists believe may be orbiting this distant body. Image credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech.

Collective Gravity, Not Planet Nine, May Explain Orbits of Sedna and Other Detached Trans-Neptunian Objects

Jun 11, 2018 by News Staff

A team of planetary researchers at the University of Colorado at Boulder has offered up a new theory for the existence of strange trans-Neptunian objects...

This artist’s concept depicts Haumea and its ring. Image credit: Institute of Astrophysics of Andalusia.

Astronomers Discover Ring around Dwarf Planet Haumea

Oct 13, 2017 by Natali Anderson

An international research team led by astronomers from the Institute of Astrophysics of Andalusia (IAA-CSIC) in Spain has discovered a ring around Haumea,...

Artist concept of the planetary body 2014 UZ224. Image credit: Alexandra Angelich / NRAO / AUI / NSF.

ALMA Observes Trans-Neptunian Planetary Body 2014 UZ224

Apr 13, 2017 by News Staff

Researchers using Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) have uncovered new clues about the recently-discovered planetary body UZ224. The...

An artist’s conception of Planet Nine. Image credit: Robin Dienel.

Hunt for Planet Nine Reveals New Trans-Neptunian Objects

Aug 29, 2016 by News Staff

In the race to discover the recently proposed Planet Nine, a team of astronomers has discovered ten previously unknown objects beyond the orbit of the...

Close Encounters between Centaurs and Gas Giants Form Our Solar System’s ‘Pinky Rings’

Aug 19, 2016 by James Romero

Our gas giants strip the icy surface off minor planets to form miniature versions of Saturn’s famous rings throughout the outer solar system, according...

Artist’s impression of the dwarf planet and trans-Neptunian object (225088) 2007 OR10. Image credit: NASA.

2007 OR10 is Third-Largest Dwarf Planet, Astronomers Say

May 13, 2016 by News Staff

According to observations from ESA’s Herschel Space Observatory and NASA’s Kepler Space Telescope-K2 extended mission, the dwarf planet and trans-Neptunian...