The Solar System Beyond Neptune, University Of Arizona

Astronomers have identified plenty of objects that were circulating the sun farther away from Neptune since the year 1992. According to research, there are more than 70,000 of these small objects named as Trans-Neptunians, which had a diameter that was larger than 100 km. Also, these objects extended from Neptune’s orbit from 30 astronomical units (AU) to 50 astronomical units. There is a thick band in which these Trans-Neptunians were restricted in and this ring was named as the Kuiper Belt. One may ponder what is the significance of the Kuiper Belt? Astronomers believe that the objects within the Kuiper Belt may be the ancient remains from the early stages of development of the solar system.

UNSWA  -­  University  of  New  South  Wales SCI  -­  Faculty  of  Science PHYS  -­  School  of  Physics Module  3  (Weeks  5-­6)  —  Life  on  Earth  and  in  the  Solar  System PHYS1160-­5144_01311

The discovery of the Neptune planet was the result of various hypotheses, generated by different astronomers and mathematicians from 1781 to 1847. The article entitled “Accounting for Anomaly: The Discovery of Neptune” describes how Neptune was mathematically identified, before being directly observed, using the calculations of Urbain Le Verrier. He made the hypothesis that the Newtonian gravitation law could not fully explain the series of irregularities in the path of the Uranus planet. Le Verrier suggested the existence of another planet, after Uranus, that could affect its gravity. In 1845 his hypothesis followed a series of calculations to determine the nature and position of this unknown planet. By this calculations Le Verrier’s understood

The Kuiper Belt is a ‘belt-like’ disc in our outer Solar System that extends from the orbit of Neptune at about 30 astronomical units (AU) from the Sun to approximately 50 AU [1]. It is like a larger version of the asteroid belt, and is mostly made up of remnants of the formation of our Solar system [2]. As the Kuiper Belt gets further away from the Sun, it also becomes denser. At its section that should be the densest it instead stops suddenly, and this abrupt ending is known as the Kuiper Cliff. The reason for this dramatic falloff is thus unknown [3], but there is one interesting theory. Patryk Lykawka of Kobe University claims that the gravitational pull of a so far unseen planet may be responsible for the behavior of the Kuiper Belt.

We have been given this neat display as a result of the Swift-Tuttle comet’s unusually close encounter with the third planet of the solar system, causing it (this third planet) to pass through a thin, cylindrical-shaped trail of rocky particles such that many burn up in the Earth’s atmosphere, creating a dazzling display of cosmic destruction.

Several unresolved problems remain concerning the Orion Nebula. The fate of the protoplanetary disks, for example, is presently impossible to predict. Without a more detailed understanding of how planets actually form, it cannot be assumed that the events within the Orion Nebula are analogous to the events that led to the formation of the planets in the solar system. Furthermore, the detection of water in the nebula has revealed the need to revise the theory of star formation to

The experiment investigates the damage that asteroids do when they hit the Earth, focusing on the size of the crater left behind. This is done with the use of a golf ball and a tray of sand. It was discovered that the height that the golf ball (asteroid) was released from is directly proportional to the size of the crater. To investigate the relationship between the height of release of the object and the size of the crater left when the object hits the sand.

Over the last two decades, the study of exoplanetary systems has become a very active field that will grow continuously in the coming years as technology has made it possible to actually observe the Cosmos beyond the Solar System. The simple definition of an exoplanet, also called extrasolar planet, is any planetary body that orbits a star outside of our solar system (Encyclopedia Britannica). In a Scientific manner, an official definition of exoplanets may be at this point unjustified since the situation is still evolving and that any definitive definition is likely to be too rigid to adapt to new discoveries (Schnieder et al. 2011). Prior to the 1990’s, it was not possible to detect planets with certainty beyond our Solar System due to lack of technology

Asteroids are minor planets, especially those of the inner Solar System. The larger ones have also been called planetoids. These terms have historically been applied to any astronomical object orbiting the Sun that did not show the disc of a planet and was not observed to have the characteristics of an active comet. As minor planets in the outer Solar System were discovered and found to have volatile-based surfaces that resemble those of comets, they were often distinguished from asteroids of the asteroid belt. In this article, the term "asteroid" refers to the minor planets of the inner Solar System including those co-orbital with Jupiter.

Clemens Rumpf from University of Southampton, and his associates, speculated the casualties from an asteroid and how it would impact Earth. These researchers studied the effects it would cause on Earth by researching, “asteroids that burn up ompletely [sic] before impact, those that hit the ground and those that strike in water” (Crane 1).

Today I will discuss and describe another place in the solar system a phenomenon like the Kirkwood gaps in the asteroid belt is likely to exist. I will first start off by explaining what the Kirkwood gaps are, to give you an example of a solar system phenomenon is like.

As the student assistant to Dr. Steven Lucas, we have studied many different factors of the two stars known as Rodia and Alderaan. Since Dr. Lucas is interested in finding more life within the universe, and finding more Earth-like planets; we have come to the conclusion that Rodia should be studied more carefully and be highly observed.

The eighth, and final planet, in the solar system is Neptune. Neptune is in some ways a twin to Uranus, for example, it is slightly smaller at 49,528 km, is slightly warmer at -214 degrees Celsius, and has many of the same features that Uranus has. Neptune’s surface is also slightly darker than Uranus’ because there is more methane in the atmosphere above its clouds. (1) However, Neptune has more markings than Uranus. For example, one feature called the “Great Dark Spot”, much like Jupiter’s “Great Red Spot”, was seen by the Voyager 2 in August of 1989. The spot has disappeared, but more like it have popped up in its place. Also, to observe Neptune, it can be easily followed using binoculars, but it is too faint to view with the naked eye.

As humans reach out further into space, the realities associated with astronomical dangers emerge. Obvious dangers such as lack of oxygen or extreme temperatures can be relatively easy to overcome, while the subtle and less understood dangers require special

Main Body: Miles and colleagues observed drastic change in brightness in a specific comet called 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann. The change in brightness could not be a result of the comet’s orbit because it was stable, therefore