The Kuiper Belt Sam Kojiro Terrence Tenjoma

What is the Kuiper Belt? It is a region of space in our solar system that stretches from right outside the orbit of Neptune to 55 AU from the Sun This region contains countless planetoids that astronomers call Kuiper Belt Objects, or KBOs for short

Gerard Peter Kuiper Renown astronomer Gerard Peter Kuiper proposed the existence of the Kuiper Belt Kuiper proposed the idea of the Kuiper Belt in 1951 He also discovered Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune’s moons and also Mars’ carbon dioxide filled atmosphere

Kuiper Belt Objects Most of the KBOs consist of rock and ice Approximately 35,000 KBOs that have a 100 km or larger diameter Pluto is now classified as a dwarf planet and a KBO since it

Notable KBOs 5000 Quoar- half the size of Pluto Sedna- once thought to be almost the size of pluto Eris- most massive known dwarf planet

New Horizons Launched Jan It is designed to make the first close-up study of Pluto and its moons and other icy worlds in the distant Kuiper Belt.

New Horizons Cont. February did a fly-by of Jupiter July closest Pluto approach end of New Horizon’s mission

Pluto Debate July KBO Eris was discovered Eris is bigger than Pluto Strong evidence to call Pluto a Minor Planet

Pluto Debate Cont IAU came up with a definition of what a planet is The object must be in orbit around the Sun. The object must be massive enough to be a sphere by its own gravitational force. More specifically, its own gravity should pull it into a shape of hydrostatic equilibrium. It must have cleared the neighborhood around its orbit.

Pluto Debate Cont. Pluto failed to comply the third requirement since its orbit was tilted off of the ecliptic the other 8 planets were on causing it to cross Neptune’s orbit Renamed to a dwarf planet

MOVIE TIME!!!!!!!

Works Cited "Edgeworth-Kuiper Belt and Dust Disk." SolStation.com. Web. 12 Apr "Kuiper Belt." Universe Today. Web. 12 Apr "Kuiper Belt Objects." Views of the Solar System. Web. 12 Apr "The Kuiper Belt." Windows to the Universe. Web. 12 Apr