ScienceDaily: Kuiper Belt News

Planet rings could be behind the formation of solar system satellites

Tue, 04 Dec 2012 11:20:20 EST

Two researchers have recently proposed the first ever model explaining how the great majority of regular satellites in our solar system were formed out of planet rings. The model, the only one of its kind, was first tested in 2010 on Saturn's moons. It seems to account for the present distribution of “giant” planets and also explains how the satellites of the “terrestrial” planets such as Earth or Pluto came into being. These results are a major step forward in understanding and explaining the formation of planet systems across the universe.

Do missing Jupiters mean massive comet belts?

Tue, 27 Nov 2012 11:12:12 EST

Astronomers have discovered vast comet belts surrounding two nearby planetary systems known to host only Earth-to-Neptune-mass worlds. The comet reservoirs could have delivered life-giving oceans to the innermost planets.

Dwarf planet Makemake lacks atmosphere: Distant frigid world reveals its secrets for first time

Wed, 21 Nov 2012 14:55:55 EST

Dwarf planet Makemake is about two thirds of the size of Pluto, and travels around the Sun in a distant path that lies beyond that of Pluto but closer to the Sun than Eris, the most massive known dwarf planet in the Solar System. Previous observations of chilly Makemake have shown it to be similar to its fellow dwarf planets, leading some astronomers to expect its atmosphere, if present, to be similar to that of Pluto. However, the new study now shows that, like Eris, Makemake is not surrounded by a significant atmosphere.

Comet collisions every six seconds explain 17-year-old stellar mystery

Thu, 08 Nov 2012 18:19:19 EST

Every six seconds, for many millions of years, comets have been colliding near a star visible to the naked eye, astronomers report.

Pluto's moons and possible rings may be hazards: New Horizons and the gauntlet it may encounter in 2015

Tue, 16 Oct 2012 16:31:31 EDT

NASA's New Horizons spacecraft is now almost seven years into its 9.5-year journey across the solar system to explore Pluto and its system of moons. Just over two years from now, in January 2015, New Horizons will begin encounter operations, which will culminate in a close approach to Pluto on July 14, 2015, and the first-ever exploration of a planet in the Kuiper Belt.

Pluto/Charon poses for sharpest ground-based images ever

Wed, 26 Sep 2012 21:39:39 EDT

Despite being infamously demoted from its status as a major planet, Pluto (and its largest companion Charon) recently posed as a surrogate extrasolar planetary system to help astronomers produce exceptionally high-resolution images with the Gemini North 8-meter telescope. Using a method called reconstructive speckle imaging, the researchers took the sharpest ground-based snapshots ever obtained of Pluto and Charon in visible light, which hint at the exoplanet verification power of a large state-of-the-art telescope when combined with speckle imaging techniques.

Hubble discovers a fifth moon orbiting Pluto

Wed, 11 Jul 2012 12:30:30 EDT

A team of astronomers using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope is reporting the discovery of another moon orbiting the icy dwarf planet Pluto. The moon is estimated to be irregular in shape and 6 to 15 miles across. It is in a 58,000-mile-diameter circular orbit around Pluto that is assumed to be co-planar with the other satellites in the system.

Some stars capture rogue planets

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 11:36:36 EDT

New research suggests that billions of stars in our galaxy have captured rogue planets that once roamed interstellar space. The nomad worlds, which were kicked out of the star systems in which they formed, occasionally find a new home with a different sun. This finding could explain the existence of some planets that orbit surprisingly far from their stars, and even the existence of a double-planet system.

Dusty disc of crushed comets around a nearby star caused by collisions with thousands of comets a day

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 10:57:57 EDT

Astronomers have studied a ring of dust around the nearby star Fomalhaut and have deduced that it is created by the collision of thousands of comets every day.

New evidence for complex molecules on Pluto's surface

Tue, 20 Dec 2011 13:38:38 EST

Astronomers have discovered a strong ultraviolet-wavelength absorber on Pluto's surface, providing new evidence that points to the possibility of complex hydrocarbon and/or nitrile molecules lying on the surface.

Giant planet ejected from the solar system?

Thu, 10 Nov 2011 14:21:21 EST

Just as an expert chess player sacrifices a piece to protect the queen, the solar system may have given up a giant planet and spared the Earth, according to a new article.

City lights could reveal E.T. civilization

Thu, 03 Nov 2011 19:03:03 EDT

In the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, astronomers have hunted for radio signals and ultra-short laser pulses. Astronomers suggest a new technique for finding aliens: Look for their city lights.

Faraway Eris is Pluto's twin

Wed, 26 Oct 2011 14:38:38 EDT

Astronomers have measured the diameter of the dwarf planet Eris by catching it as it passed in front of a faint star. This was seen by telescopes in Chile, including the TRAPPIST telescope at the European Southern Observatory's La Silla Observatory. The observations show that Eris is an almost perfect twin of Pluto in size and appears to be covered in a layer of ice.

NASA's Spitzer detects comet storm in nearby solar system

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 16:19:19 EDT

NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has detected signs of icy bodies raining down in an alien solar system. The downpour resembles our own solar system several billion years ago during a period known as the "Late Heavy Bombardment," which may have brought water and other life-forming ingredients to Earth.

Stardust discovered in far-off planetary systems

Thu, 29 Sep 2011 07:40:40 EDT

Searching for extra-solar planets -- which are planets outside of our solar system -- is very popular these days. About 700 planets are known at the moment, a number that is continuously rising due to refined observational techniques. Astronomers have just made a remarkable discovery: they were able to establish proof of so-called debris discs around two stars. The debris discs are remnants of the formation of the planets.

Astronomers find ice and possibly methane on Snow White, a distant dwarf planet

Mon, 22 Aug 2011 12:49:49 EDT

Astronomers have discovered that the dwarf planet 2007 OR10 -- nicknamed Snow White -- is an icy world, with about half its surface covered in water ice that once flowed from ancient, slush-spewing volcanoes. The new findings also suggest that the red-tinged dwarf planet may be covered in a thin layer of methane, the remnants of an atmosphere that's slowly being lost into space.

NASA's Hubble discovers another moon around Pluto

Wed, 20 Jul 2011 09:05:05 EDT

Astronomers using the Hubble Space Telescope discovered a fourth moon orbiting the icy dwarf planet Pluto. The tiny, new satellite -- temporarily designated P4 -- was uncovered in a Hubble survey searching for rings around the dwarf planet.

Dwarf planet Haumea shines with crystalline ice

Thu, 12 May 2011 08:30:30 EDT

The fifth dwarf planet of the solar system, Haumea, and at least one of its two satellites, are covered in crystalline water-ice due to the tidal forces between them and the heat of radiogenic elements, according to an international research study using observations from the VLT telescope at the European Southern Observatory in Chile.

Astronomers can tune in to radio auroras to find exoplanets

Mon, 18 Apr 2011 08:40:40 EDT

Detecting exoplanets that orbit at large distances from their star remains a challenge for planet hunters. Now, scientists have shown that emissions from the radio aurora of planets like Jupiter should be detectable by radio telescopes such as LOFAR, which will be completed later this year.

New telescope is exploring solar system 'outback'

Thu, 13 Jan 2011 10:21:21 EST

In the outer reaches of our solar system lies a mysterious region far more remote and difficult to explore than the Australian outback. It remains the only part of our solar system not visited by spacecraft. A new telescope has begun to virtually explore the solar system outback, and already is scoring discoveries.

Neptune could not have knocked planetoids in Cold Classical Kuiper Belt to edge of solar system

Wed, 06 Oct 2010 09:41:41 EDT

New research is challenging popular theory about how part of our solar system formed. Contrary to popular belief, new evidence suggests the planet Neptune can't have knocked a collection of planetoids known as the Cold Classical Kuiper Belt to its current location at the edge of the solar system.

Planet-like object found circling a brown dwarf

Fri, 09 Apr 2010 14:43:43 EDT

As our telescopes grow more powerful, astronomers are uncovering objects that defy conventional wisdom. The latest example is the discovery of a planet-like object circling a brown dwarf. It's the right size for a planet, estimated to be 5-10 times the mass of Jupiter. But the object formed in less than 1 million years -- the approximate age of the brown dwarf -- and much faster than the predicted time it takes to build planets according to some theories.

New Hubble maps of Pluto show surface changes

Thu, 04 Feb 2010 23:42:42 EST

NASA has released the most detailed set of images ever taken of the distant dwarf planet Pluto. The images taken by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope show an icy and dark molasses-colored, mottled world that is undergoing seasonal changes in its surface color and brightness.

Spot Discovered On Dwarf Planet Haumea Shows Up Red And Rich With Organics

Wed, 16 Sep 2009 09:25:25 EDT

A dark red area discovered on the dwarf planet Haumea appears to be richer in minerals and organic compounds than the surrounding icy surface.

Lower Atmosphere Of Pluto Revealed

Mon, 02 Mar 2009 13:32:32 EST

Using ESO's Very Large Telescope, astronomers have gained valuable new insights about the atmosphere of the dwarf planet Pluto. The scientists found unexpectedly large amounts of methane in the atmosphere, and also discovered that the atmosphere is hotter than the surface by about 40 degrees, although it still only reaches a frigid minus 180 degrees Celsius. These properties of Pluto's atmosphere may be due to the presence of pure methane patches or of a methane-rich layer covering the dwarf planet's surface.

Fifth Dwarf Planet Named Haumea

Thu, 18 Sep 2008 23:44:44 EDT

The International Astronomical Union has announced that the object previously known as 2003 EL61 is to be classified as the fifth dwarf planet in the Solar System and named Haumea. This now means that the family of dwarf planets in the Solar System is up to five.

Astronomers Find Unusual New Denizen Of The Solar System

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 08:58:58 EDT

A "minor planet" with the prosaic name 2006 SQ372 is just over two billion miles from Earth, a bit closer than the planet Neptune. But this lump of ice and rock is beginning the return leg of a 22,500-year journey that will take it to a distance of 150 billion miles, nearly 1,600 times the distance from the Earth to the Sun, according to a team of researchers from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS-II).

'Plutoid' Chosen As Name For Solar System Objects Like Pluto

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 09:41:41 EDT

The International Astronomical Union has decided on the term plutoid as a name for dwarf planets like Pluto at a meeting of its Executive Committee in Oslo. Almost two years after the IAU General Assembly introduced the category of dwarf planets, the IAU, as promised, has decided on a name for transneptunian dwarf planets similar to Pluto.

Sign Of 'Embryonic Planets' Forming In Nearby Stellar Systems

Mon, 01 Oct 2007 12:04:04 EDT

Astronomers are pointing to three nearby stars they say may hold "embryonic planets" -- a missing link in planet-formation theories. As scientists try to piece together how our own planet came to be, they look to the forming planets of other star systems for clues. But astronomers have been unable to find evidence for one of the key stages of planet development, a period early in the planet's formation when it is only as large as tiny Pluto.

Charon: An Ice Machine In The Ultimate Deep Freeze

Thu, 19 Jul 2007 01:11:11 EDT

Frigid geysers spewing material up through cracks in the crust of Pluto's companion Charon, and recoating parts of its surface in ice crystals, could be making this distant world into the equivalent of an outer solar system ice machine. The observations suggest that liquid water mixed with ammonia from deep within Charon is pushing out to the ultra-cold surface.

Dwarf Planet Eris Is More Massive Than Pluto

Sun, 17 Jun 2007 13:06:06 EDT

Aptly named after the Greek goddess of conflict, the icy dwarf planet, Eris, has rattled the general model of our solar system. The object was discovered by astronomer Mike Brown of Caltech in the outer reaches of the Kuiper belt in 2005. Adding insult to injury for the former ninth planet, Brown has now determined that Eris is also more massive than Pluto.

Kuiper-belt Object Was Broken Up By Massive Impact 4.5 Billion Years Ago

Thu, 22 Mar 2007 14:24:24 EDT

In the outer reaches of the solar system, there is an object known as 2003 EL61 that looks like and spins like a football being drop-kicked over the proverbial goalpost of life. Still awaiting a more poetic name, 2003 EL61 largely escaped the media hubbub during last year's demotion of Pluto, but new findings could make it one of the most important of the Kuiper-belt objects for understanding the workings of the solar system.

Zooming To Pluto, New Horizons Spacecraft Approaches Jupiter

Fri, 19 Jan 2007 14:43:43 EST

Just a year after it was dispatched on the first mission to Pluto and the Kuiper Belt, the APL-built New Horizons spacecraft is on the doorstep of the solar system's largest planet -- about to swing past Jupiter and pick up even more speed on its voyage toward the unexplored regions of the planetary frontier.

NASA Spacecraft En Route To Pluto Prepares For Jupiter Encounter

Thu, 18 Jan 2007 13:35:35 EST

NASA's New Horizons spacecraft is on the doorstep of the solar system's largest planet. The spacecraft will study and swing past Jupiter, increasing speed on its voyage toward Pluto, the Kuiper Belt and beyond. The fastest spacecraft ever launched, New Horizons will make its closest pass to Jupiter on Feb. 28, 2007. Jupiter's gravity will accelerate New Horizons away from the sun by an additional 9,000 miles per hour, pushing it past 52,000 mph and hurling it toward a pass through the Pluto system in July 2015.

Dwarf Planet Formerly Known As Xena Officially Named 'Eris'

Thu, 14 Sep 2006 15:53:53 EDT

The International Astronomical Union has announced that the dwarf planet known as Xena since its 2005 discovery has been named Eris, after the Greek goddess of discord. Eris's moon will be known as Dysnomia, the demon goddess of lawlessness and the daughter of Eris.

Pluto Downgraded To 'Dwarf Planet' Status; Solar System Now Has Eight Planets

Fri, 25 Aug 2006 00:37:37 EDT

The International Astronomical Union (IAU) has downgraded the status of Pluto to that of a "dwarf planet," a designation that will also be applied to the spherical body discovered last year by California Institute of Technology planetary scientist Mike Brown and his colleagues. The decision means that only the rocky worlds of the inner solar system and the gas giants of the outer system will hereafter be designated as planets.

Bigger Solar System? Astronomers Debate Definition Of 'Planet' And 'Plutons'

Wed, 16 Aug 2006 08:22:22 EDT

The world's astronomers, under the auspices of the International Astronomical Union (IAU), have concluded two years of work defining the difference between "planets" and the smaller "solar system bodies" such as comets and asteroids. If the definition is approved by the astronomers gathered 14-25 August 2006 at the IAU General Assembly in Prague, our Solar System will include 12 planets, with more to come.

New Capture Scenario Explains Origin Of Neptune's Oddball Moon Triton

Thu, 11 May 2006 08:39:39 EDT

Triton, unique among all the large moons in the solar system because it orbits Neptune in a direction opposite to the planet's rotation, may have abandoned an earlier partner to arrive in its unusual orbit. According to a new model for the capture of planetary satellites, Triton was originally a member of a binary pair of objects orbiting the Sun before it was captured by Neptune in a three-body gravitational encounter.

Evidence Mounts For Sun's Companion Star

Mon, 24 Apr 2006 18:05:05 EDT

The Binary Research Institute (BRI) has found that orbital characteristics of the recently discovered planetoid, "Sedna," demonstrate the possibility that our sun might be part of a binary star system. A binary star system consists of two stars gravitationally bound orbiting a common center of mass. Once thought to be highly unusual, such systems are now considered to be common in the Milky Way galaxy.

Hubble Finds 'Tenth Planet' Is Slightly Larger Than Pluto

Mon, 17 Apr 2006 13:15:15 EDT

NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has resolved the "tenth planet," nicknamed "Xena," for the first time and has found that it is only just a little larger than Pluto. Though previous ground-based observations suggested that Xena was about 30 percent greater in diameter than Pluto, Hubble observations taken on Dec. 9 and 10, 2005, yield a diameter of 1,490 miles (with an uncertainty of 60 miles) for Xena. Pluto's diameter, as measured by Hubble, is 1,422 miles.

Researchers Describe Discovery Of Pluto's New Moons

Thu, 23 Feb 2006 08:57:57 EST

Researchers at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory and the Southwest Research Institute describe the discovery of two new moons around Pluto -- a finding that made the ninth planet the first Kuiper Belt object known to have multiple satellites. The team concludes that the two small moons were very likely born in the same giant impact that gave birth to Charon.

NASA's Spitzer Uncovers Hints Of Mega Solar Systems

Wed, 08 Feb 2006 15:54:54 EST

NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has identified two huge "hypergiant" stars circled by monstrous disks of what might be planet-forming dust. The findings surprised astronomers because stars as big as these were thought to be inhospitable to planets. "These extremely massive stars are tremendously hot and bright and have very strong winds, making the job of building planets difficult," said Joel Kastner of the Rochester Institute of Technology in New York. "Our data suggest that the planet-forming process may be hardier than previously believed, occurring around even the most massive stars that nature produces."

Kuiper Belt Moons Are Starting To Seem Typical

Wed, 11 Jan 2006 08:24:24 EST

In the not-too-distant past, the planet Pluto was thought to be an odd bird in the outer reaches of the solar system because it has a moon, Charon, that was formed much like Earth's own moon was formed. But Pluto is getting a lot of company these days. Of the four largest objects in the Kuiper belt, three have one or more moons.

Measuring Charon: Astronomers Seize Rare Opportunity

Thu, 05 Jan 2006 08:57:57 EST

Being in the right place at the right time gave a group of Massachusetts research astronomers a unique opportunity to study Pluto's largest moon Charon. The resulting measurements, to unprecedented accuracy, of Charon's size and possible atmosphere provide insight into the way this distant world may have formed.

University Of Colorado Student-built Instrument Set To Launch On Pluto Mission

Wed, 28 Dec 2005 10:35:35 EST

The University of Colorado at Boulder's long heritage with NASA planetary missions will continue Jan. 17 with the launch of a student space dust instrument on the New Horizons Mission to Pluto from Florida's Kennedy Space Center.

Hubble Reveals Possible New Moons Around Pluto

Mon, 31 Oct 2005 19:30:30 EST

Using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope to view the ninth planet in our solar system, astronomers discovered Pluto may have not one, but three moons. If confirmed, the discovery of the two new moons could offer insights into the nature and evolution of the Pluto system; Kuiper Belt Objects with satellite systems; and the early Kuiper Belt. The Kuiper Belt is a vast region of icy, rocky bodies beyond Neptune's orbit.

Tenth Planet Has A Moon

Mon, 03 Oct 2005 07:59:59 EDT

The newly discovered 10th planet, 2003 UB313, is looking more and more like one of the solar system's major players. It has the heft of a real planet (latest estimates put it at about 20 percent larger than Pluto), a catchy code name (Xena, after the TV warrior princess), and a Guinness Book-ish record of its own (at about 97 astronomical units-or 9 billion miles from the sun-it is the solar system's farthest detected object). And, astronomers from the California Institute of Technology and their colleagues have now discovered, it has a moon.

Scientists Discover Solar System's Tenth Planet -- Bigger Than Pluto

Fri, 29 Jul 2005 22:41:41 EDT

A planet larger than Pluto has been discovered in the outlying regions of the solar system. The planet was discovered using the Samuel Oschin Telescope at Palomar Observatory near San Diego, Calif. The planet is a typical member of the Kuiper belt, but its sheer size in relation to the nine known planets means that it can only be classified as a planet.

NASA's Hubble Chases Unruly Planet

Wed, 22 Jun 2005 13:55:55 EDT

A detailed image from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope offers the strongest evidence yet that an unruly and unseen planet may be gravitationally tugging on a dusty ring around the nearby star Fomalhaut (HD 216956).

Journey Begins For NASA's New Horizons Probe; APL-Built Pluto Mission Spacecraft Shipped To NASA Goddard For Pre-launch Tests

Tue, 14 Jun 2005 00:23:23 EDT

The first spacecraft designed to study Pluto took the first steps on a long journey when it was shipped to NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., for its next round of pre-launch tests.

Scientists Discover Pluto Kin Is A Member Of Saturn Family

Sat, 07 May 2005 09:56:56 EDT

Saturn's battered little moon Phoebe is an interloper to the Saturn system from the deep outer solar system, scientists have concluded. Phoebe was left behind from the solar nebula, the cloud of interstellar gas and dust from which the planets formed.

Pluto-Charon Origin May Mirror That Of Earth And Its Moon

Mon, 14 Feb 2005 10:33:33 EST

The evolution of Kuiper Belt objects, Pluto and its lone moon Charon may have something in common with Earth and our single Moon: a giant impact in the distant past.

Scientists Announce Smallest Extra-Solar Planet Yet Discovered And Find Outer Limits Of The Pulsar Planetary System

Fri, 11 Feb 2005 09:50:50 EST

Penn State's Alex Wolszczan, the discoverer in 1992 of the first planets ever found outside our solar system, now has discovered with Caltech's Maciej Konacki the smallest planet yet detected, in that same far-away planetary system. Immersed in an extended cloud of ionized gas, the new planet orbits a rapidly spinning neutron star called a pulsar.

Did Our Sun Capture Alien Worlds? Close Encounter May Explain Some Objects Beyond Neptune

Wed, 08 Dec 2004 23:58:58 EST

Computer simulations show a close encounter with a passing star about 4 billion years ago may have given our solar system its abrupt edge and put small, alien worlds into distant orbits around our sun.

Good News For Pluto: KBOs May Be Smaller Than Thought

Tue, 16 Nov 2004 23:40:40 EST

Pluto's status as our solar system's ninth planet may be safe if a recently discovered Kuiper Belt Object is a typical "KBO" and not just an oddball. Astronomers have new evidence that KBOs (Kuiper Belt Objects) are smaller than previously thought.

Sedna Mystery Deepens With Hubble Images Of Farthest Planetoid

Thu, 15 Apr 2004 01:28:28 EDT

Astronomers studying 35 NASA Hubble Space Telescope (HST) images of the solar system's farthest known object, unofficially named Sedna, are surprised the object does not appear to have a companion moon of any substantial size.

Most Distant Object In Solar System Discovered

Tue, 16 Mar 2004 07:25:25 EST

NASA-funded researchers have discovered the most distant object orbiting Earth's Sun. The object is a mysterious planet-like body three times farther from Earth than Pluto.

First Extrasolar Planets, Now Extrasolar Moons

Fri, 10 Oct 2003 07:52:52 EDT

The European Space Agency is now planning a mission that can detect moons around planets outside our Solar System, those orbiting other stars.

Solar System 'Fossils' Discovered By Hubble Telescope

Mon, 08 Sep 2003 07:15:15 EDT

Astronomers using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope have discovered three of the faintest and smallest objects ever detected beyond Neptune. Each lump of ice and rock is roughly the size of Philadelphia and orbits just beyond Neptune and Pluto, where they may have rested since the formation of the solar system 4.5 billion years ago.

World's Largest Astronomical CCD Camera Installed On Palomar Observatory Telescope

Wed, 30 Jul 2003 08:00:00 EDT

The world's largest astronomical camera has been installed on Palomar Observatory's 48-inch Oschin Telescope in California. This telescope has been working to improve our understanding of the universe for nearly 55 years. The new upgrade will help it to push the limits of the unknown for years to come.