In 1950, a Dutch astronomer Jan Oort believed that comets came from icy bodies about 50,000 times farther from the Sun than the Earth is. A year later astronomer Gerard Kuiper suggested that debris from the formation of the solar system should be found beyond Neptune.

In the early 1980’s, computer simulations of the formation of the solar system predicted that a disk of debris should form around the edge of the solar system. This became known as the Kuiper Belt.

In 1992, a 150 mile wide object called 1992QB1, was discovered at the distance of Kuiper’s Belt. Several other objects of equal size were quickly discovered, proving the Kuiper Belt was real.

Today there are 70,000 large objects in orbit beyond Jupiter. There may be many more that are not currently visible. The planet Pluto is considered the largest member of the Kuiper Belt. Also, Neptune’s satellites, Triton and Nereid, and Saturn’s moon, Phoebe, may be captured Kuiper Belt objects and are in unusual orbits.

The Kuiper Belt is important for the study of the solar system for two reasons. First, it is believed to be the home of the Jupiter family of  short period comets.  These comets behave differently than those coming from the Oort cloud which is beyond Neptune and Pluto. Short period comets orbit the Sun every 200 million years. Also, the Jupiter family of short period comets go around the Sun in the same direction as the planets and have orbits like the Earth’s. Second, it is likely that the Kuiper Belt was important in the birth of the solar system. The theory states that the inner parts formed the planets and the outer parts formed many small objects.

There are many discoveries about the Kuiper Belt still waiting to be made!

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