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Chapter 15: Problem 27

What is the relationship between the Kuiper belt and comets?

Short Answer

Expert verified
Comets and the Kuiper Belt are intrinsically related. Many of the comets that we see from Earth originate from the Kuiper Belt, a region of the solar system beyond the orbit of Neptune filled with icy bodies. When these bodies' orbits get disturbed, they move towards the inner parts of the Solar System, becoming comets.

Step by step solution

01

Understanding the Kuiper Belt

The Kuiper Belt is a region of our solar system, that exists beyond the orbit of Neptune. It's a disc-shaped region of icy bodies - including dwarf planets and asteroids.
02

Understanding Comets

Comets are celestial bodies composed largely of ice and dust that develop a tail of glowing matter when they approach the sun.
03

Establishing the Relationship

Many comets originate from the Kuiper Belt. When gravitational interactions with the giant planets, such as Neptune, perturb the orbit of the icy bodies in the Kuiper Belt, they may get ejected from the belt and move towards the inner parts of the Solar System, becoming the comets we see from Earth.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

Suppose you found a rock you suspect might be a meteorite. Describe some of the things you could do to determine whether it was a meteorite or a "meteorwrong."

Describe the asteroid belt. Does it lie completely within the plane of the ecliptic? What are its inner and outer radii?

What are Kirkwood gaps? What causes them?

What are the differences between asteroids and transNeptunian objects?

What led astronomers to suspect that there were members of the solar system that orbit between Mars and Jupiter?
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