Tag

Kuiper Belt

All articles tagged with #kuiper belt

space21 hours ago•23 min saved

New Horizons Wakes to Edge of Solar System

NASA’s New Horizons has awakened from a 321‑day hibernation about 64 astronomical units from Earth (roughly 10 billion km) and will begin sending back a year’s worth of stored data while studying the outer heliosphere’s termination shock—the boundary where the solar wind slows and blends with interstellar material. Having passed Pluto and Arrokoth, the probe is now venturing farther into the Kuiper Belt region and beyond, with no new target identified; its path could see it leaving the Kuiper Belt around 2028–2029 as it continues toward interstellar space, with an approximate nine‑hour one‑way radio link and a current “green” status from mission control.

via ZME Science|

#heliosphere #interstellar-space #kuiper-belt

science1 day ago•5 min saved

New Horizons Awakens to Continue the Solar-Wind Frontier

NASA’s New Horizons woke from a nearly yearlong hibernation about 6 billion miles from Earth and is expected to operate into the 2050s, studying how the solar wind slows as it moves through the Kuiper Belt and planning one more flyby with Rubin Observatory help. Measurements show solar wind is about 13-15% slower at the edge than near Earth.

via Mashable|

#arrokoth #kuiper-belt #new-horizons

space3 days ago•103 min saved

New Horizons Wakes Up at the Solar System’s Edge to Study the Solar Wind

NASA's New Horizons woke from a year-long hibernation nearly 6 billion miles from Earth and will begin transmitting data gathered over the last 321 days. The spacecraft is healthy and will soon study hydrogen in the outer heliosphere and the termination shock—the solar wind boundary at the edge of our solar system—as it speeds farther from the Sun.

via Space|

#kuiper-belt #nasa #new-horizons

space18 days ago•13 min saved

New Horizons Unveils Pluto's 1,000-km Icy Heart, Rewriting Distant-World Science

NASA's New Horizons completed a nine-year, 3-billion-mile voyage to Pluto, flyby in 2015 revealed a 1,000-km heart-shaped glacier of frozen nitrogen and a landscape so young it challenged prior models; now 5.7 billion miles away, the probe is in hibernation awaiting NASA's funding decisions, with data still trickling back and potential wake-up in 2026 if approved.

via 19FortyFive|

#kuiper-belt #nasa #new-horizons

science20 days ago•2 min saved

Small Kuiper Belt Object Displays a Fragile Atmosphere, Defying Expectations

Astronomers using a 2024 stellar occultation detected signs of a thin, possibly temporary atmosphere around the tiny Kuiper Belt object 2002 XV93 (about 500 km across), challenging assumptions that such small bodies can hold an atmosphere. Any atmosphere would likely last under 1,000 years without replenishment, and no frozen surface gases were found by JWST to fuel it. Two scenarios are proposed: recent internal gas release or a comet impact. If confirmed, this would be the first atmosphere detected on a trans-Neptunian object other than Pluto, prompting further observations to understand the mechanism.

via BBC Sky at Night Magazine|

#2002-xv93 #atmosphere #kuiper-belt

space26 days ago•8 min saved

Planet Nine Debate Persists as New Distant-World Detections Complicate the Search

The article reviews renewed evidence and ongoing controversy over Planet Nine, noting that irregular orbits of distant Kuiper Belt objects and new distant bodies like 2023 KQ14 have kept the hypothesis viable but unproven. Long orbital periods and limited data mean there is no definitive detection yet; if a ninth planet exists, it would likely lie farther than ~500 AU. Ongoing ground- and space-based observations—and future missions—are needed to clarify whether a massive unseen planet shapes these orbits.

via SciTechDaily|

#kuiper-belt #outer-solar-system #planet-nine

space1 month ago•3 min saved

Fragile Atmosphere Detected on Tiny Kuiper World 2002 XV93

Astronomers using stellar occultations detected a very thin atmosphere around the small trans-Neptunian object 2002 XV93, making it only the second TNO known to have an atmosphere after Pluto. The atmosphere is about 5–10 million times thinner than Earth's and is expected to vanish within 100–1,000 years unless replenished, possibly by cryovolcanic activity beneath the icy surface or by a recent impact. Observations via occultation are ongoing, with JWST follow-up planned to determine its composition and whether the atmosphere is fading or replenished.

via BBC Science Focus Magazine|

#astronomy #atmosphere #kuiper-belt

science1 month ago•2 min saved

Small Kuiper Belt Object Carries Its Own Atmosphere, Astronomers Say

Astronomers using stellar occultation detected a thin atmosphere around the 500 km-wide Kuiper Belt object 2002 XV93, a surprising find for such a small body that normally cannot retain gases. The atmosphere’s origin is uncertain—possible ice‑volcano outgassing or a recent impact—and could dissipate within about a thousand years. The study, published in Nature Astronomy on May 6, 2026, broadens ideas about where atmospheres can exist in the outer solar system.

via DOGO News|

#2002-xv93 #astronomy #atmosphere

science2 months ago•3 min saved

Tiny Kuiper World Reveals Thin Atmosphere, Second of Its Kind

Astronomers observed the small Kuiper Belt object 2002 XV93 (about 311 miles across) during a stellar occultation and found a very thin atmosphere, making it only the second TNO known to have one after Pluto. The atmosphere, five to ten million times thinner than Earth's, could result from cryovolcanic activity or a recent icy impact; its persistence or dissipation could help distinguish between these sources. Future James Webb Space Telescope observations may detect additional gases like methane or carbon monoxide.

via Futurism|

#atmosphere #cryovolcanism #kuiper-belt

space2 months ago•74 min saved

Tiny Kuiper Belt World Grows a Mysterious, Vanishingly Thin Atmosphere

A diminutive trans-Neptunian object known as (612533) 2002 XV93 (a ~500 km Pluto-like body in Neptune’s 2:3 resonance) has unexpectedly developed a thin atmosphere (exosphere). Its presence was inferred from a January 2024 stellar occultation observed by a Japan-led team; the exosphere is extremely tenuous, with surface pressures of 100–200 nanobars—5 to 10 million times thinner than Earth’s. The atmosphere could originate from a recent impact or from cryovolcanic outgassing, but either way it challenges the idea that only large bodies can sustain atmospheres. If it’s impact-driven, the gas would escape within ~1,000 years; if outgassing, the source is ongoing beneath the surface. JWST observations and density monitoring in coming years should help pinpoint the cause. The discovery was published May 4 in Nature Astronomy.

via Space|

#atmosphere #cryovolcanism #kuiper-belt

science2 months ago•182 min saved

Tiny Kuiper Belt World Reveals a Surprising Atmosphere

Astronomers using a rare January 2024 stellar occultation in Japan detected a thin atmosphere around the small trans-Neptunian object (612533) 2002 XV93, a body about 500 km across in the Kuiper Belt. The atmosphere is estimated to be 5–10 million times thinner than Earth's. It could be produced by cryovolcanism or a past impact; if replenished regularly, it might persist longer, otherwise it could dissipate in a few hundred years. Future observations, including with the James Webb Space Telescope, aim to determine its composition and evolution, potentially overturning assumptions that tiny, distant objects can’t have atmospheres and highlighting Kuiper Belt activity.

via CNN|

#astronomy #atmosphere #kuiper-belt

space2 months ago•3 min saved

Tiny Kuiper World Reveals a Global Atmosphere, Redefining Small-Body Atmospheres

Astronomers using a 2024 stellar occultation detected a very thin, global atmosphere around the tiny icy Kuiper Belt object (612533) 2002 XV93, suggesting atmospheres can exist on small bodies and hinting at possible internal gas sources or surface outgassing; further observations are needed to verify and characterize its composition.

via NBC News|

#2002-xv93 #astronomy #atmosphere

space2 months ago•4 min saved

Tiny Kuiper World Could Host a Global Atmosphere, Study Suggests

A tiny trans-Neptunian object (612533) 2002 XV93, about 300 miles across in the Kuiper Belt, may have a global atmosphere, detected during an occultation in 2024 and thought to be 5–10 million times thinner than Earth's (50–100 times thinner than Pluto's). The atmosphere, if confirmed, could be methane, nitrogen, or carbon monoxide and might have been produced by ice volcanism or a comet impact; independent verification, likely with JWST, is needed, and some scientists urge caution until more data are in.

via CBS News|

#astronomy #atmosphere #kuiper-belt

science2 months ago•34 min saved

Tiny Kuiper World Displays a Delicate Atmosphere, Defying Size Assumptions

Astronomers have found evidence of a thin, global atmosphere around a tiny icy Kuiper Belt object, (612533) 2002 XV93, about 300 miles across. Using stellar occultations observed in 2024 from three Japanese telescopes, the study suggests the atmosphere is 5–10 million times thinner than Earth's (and 50–100 times thinner than Pluto's) and may be composed of methane, nitrogen, or carbon monoxide. If confirmed, this object would be the solar system's smallest body with a detectable atmosphere, challenging the idea that atmospheres only exist on larger planets and dwarf planets. Independent verification is needed, and future observations—especially with the Webb Space Telescope—could reveal the atmosphere's makeup or its variability, hinting at internal gas sources or surface activity like ice volcanoes.

via Yahoo|

#2002-xv93 #astronomy #atmosphere

astronomy4 months ago•53 min saved

Space snowmen in the Kuiper Belt: a new clue to their formation

New simulations show that spinning clouds of pebble-sized particles can form contact binaries—two linked bodies—and even triple planetesimals, offering a simple explanation for space snowmen in the Kuiper Belt; the study finds about 4% of simulated planetesimals become contact binaries, a share below the previously thought 10–25%, and notes that more detailed particle modeling could raise that fraction.

via Space|

#astronomy #kuiper-belt #planetesimals