Kuiper Belt Objects – Astronomy Now

The case for, and against, the still-unseen Planet 9

16 February 2021 Astronomy Now

New research questions the need for a “Planet 9” to explain clustered outer solar system orbits; proponents beg to differ.

‘Farfarout’ confirmed to be really, seriously far out

12 February 2021 Astronomy Now

Astronomers confirm a dwarf planet nicknamed ‘Farfarout’ is, in fact, the most distant solar system body yet detected.

Hubble spies double-star exoplanet in long orbit like hypothetical path of ‘Planet Nine’

14 December 2020 Astronomy Now

Hubble helps astronomers characterise exoplanet orbit that is similar to the path of a hypothesised “Planet Nine” in Earth’s solar system.

Ultima Thule answers – and raises – questions about early solar system

19 March 2019 Astronomy Now

Data from the New Horizons flyby of the Kuiper Belt body Ultima Thule on New Year’s Day sheds new light on processes at work during the solar system’s birth.

Dwarf planet Haumea’s lunar system smaller than anticipated

17 May 2016 Astronomy Now

Haumea, a dwarf planet on the edge of our solar system, doesn’t have the same kind of moons as its well-known cousin Pluto according to a new study. This is despite original evidence that suggested they both formed in similar giant impacts and adds to the mystery shrouding how these icy bodies formed.

High-speed CHIMERA to scout for Kuiper Belt objects

4 March 2016 Astronomy Now

At the Palomar Observatory near San Diego, astronomers are busy tinkering with a high-tech instrument that could discover a variety of objects both far from Earth and closer to home. The Caltech HIgh-speed Multi-colour camERA (CHIMERA) system is looking for objects in the Kuiper Belt, the band of icy bodies beyond the orbit of Neptune that includes Pluto.

Researchers home in on likely whereabouts of Planet Nine

27 February 2016 Astronomy Now

Using observations from NASA’s Cassini spacecraft, a team of French astronomers from the Institut de mécanique céleste et de calcul des éphémérides, and the laboratory GeoAzur have been able to specify the possible positions of a ninth planet in the Solar System.