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Chapter 7: Problem 12

What is the connection between comets and the Kuiper belt? Between comets and the Oort cloud?

Short Answer

Expert verified
The Kuiper Belt and the Oort Cloud are two regions in space that are believed to be the origin of comets we see in the inner Solar System. Short-Period Comets come from the Kuiper Belt, while Long-Period Comets originate from the Oort Cloud. Both regions contain many small, icy bodies, which, when warmed by the sun's heat when they get close, become the glowing comets we can observe.

Step by step solution

01

Understanding Comets

First, it is important to comprehend what a comet is. A comet is a small, icy celestial body that, when passing close to the sun, heats up and begins to outgas, displaying a visible atmosphere or coma, and sometimes also a tail. These phenomena are due to the effects of solar radiation and the solar wind upon the nucleus of the comet.
02

Relation Between Comets and the Kuiper Belt

The Kuiper Belt is a region of the solar system beyond the orbit of Neptune, believed to contain many comets, asteroids, and other small bodies made largely of ice. Many comets that we see come from the Kuiper Belt. Kuiper Belt Objects (KBOs) are preserved in the deep freeze of the outer Solar System for billions of years and are believed to be remnants left over from the formation of the Solar System.
03

Relation Between Comets and the Oort Cloud

The Oort Cloud, named after the Dutch astronomer Jan Oort, is hypothesized to be a thin shell of icy objects that exist in the outermost reaches of the solar system, much farther than the orbit of Pluto and up to halfway to the nearest star. Comets that come from the Oort Cloud are known as Long-Period Comets (because they have orbits that last for thousands of years), suggesting that the Oort Cloud could be the source of most comets.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

Why are hydrogen and helium abundant in the atmospheres of the Jovian planets but present in only small amounts in the Earth's atmosphere?

Consider a hypothetical trans-Neptunian object located \(100 \mathrm{AU}\) from the Sun. (a) What would be the orbital period (in years) of this object? (b) There are 360 degrees in a circle, and 60 arcminutes in a degree. How long would it take this object to move 1 arcminute across the sky? (c) TransNeptunian objects are discovered by looking for "stars" that move on the celestial sphere. Use your answer from part (b) to explain why these discoveries require patience. (d) Discovering trans-Neptunian objects also requires large telescopes equipped with sensitive detectors. Explain why.

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