New horizons probe reveals hidden population beyond Kuiper Belt
Thanks to observations of space using NASA's New Horizons probe, a population of objects in the outer regions of the Solar System has been discovered, reports Cosmos Magazine. Observations indicate that this system was formed from a much larger disk of planetary matter than previously assumed.
1:12 PM EDT, September 8, 2024
The authors of the study, published in the "Planetary Science Journal of the American Astronomical Society," decided to take a closer look at the Kuiper Belt—an area extending beyond Neptune's orbit. It is located at a distance of about 3–5 billion miles from the Sun. At such a great distance, the NASA New Horizons probe, in collaboration with Japan's Subaru telescope, allowed for the discovery of something that scientists had not been able to see before.
Objects far beyond the Kuiper Belt
Both observational instruments discovered objects located beyond the Kuiper Belt—at a distance of 6–8 billion miles from the Sun. Scientists also identified an empty space at a distance of 3–6 billion miles. Only at a greater distance (the aforementioned 6–8 billion miles) were new bodies discovered.
"Our solar system’s Kuiper Belt long appeared to be very small in comparison with many other planetary systems, but our results suggest that idea might just have arisen due to an observational bias," said the lead author of the study, Wes Fraser, quoted by Cosmos Magazine.
Discovery important for science
So why is the discovery made by scientists, involving the New Horizons probe and the Subaru telescope, so significant for science? Scientists admit that if further research confirms there is an undiscovered population of cosmic objects beyond the Kuiper Belt, the perception of how the entire Solar System actually formed may change.
The presence of these bodies could indicate that the nebula from which the Solar System formed was much larger than previously assumed. However, to confirm this thesis, it is necessary to obtain further readings from New Horizons. Scientists continue to research beyond the Kuiper Belt.
"We still have much to learn about what this distant population actually looks like, but what’s fascinating is that there is a new Kuiper Belt population out there at all," summarizes Fraser. He notes that the disk of planetary matter that led to the formation of planets and other structures in the Solar System 5 billion years ago may be much larger than scientists previously claimed. Until now, however, no one had noticed that there could be additional objects beyond the Kuiper Belt.
