Kuiper belt object in the context of "Neptune trojan"

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⭐ Core Definition: Kuiper belt object

The Kuiper belt (/ˈkpər/ ) is a circumstellar disc in the outer Solar System, extending from the orbit of Neptune at 30 astronomical units (AU) to approximately 50 AU from the Sun. It is similar to the asteroid belt, but is far larger—20 times as wide and 20–200 times as massive. Like the asteroid belt, it consists mainly of small bodies or remnants from when the Solar System formed. While many asteroids are composed primarily of rock and metal, most Kuiper belt objects are composed largely of frozen volatiles (termed "ices"), such as methane, ammonia, and water. The Kuiper belt is home to most of the objects that astronomers generally accept as dwarf planets: Orcus, Pluto, Haumea, Quaoar, and Makemake. Some of the Solar System's moons, such as Neptune's Triton and Saturn's Phoebe, may have originated in the region.

The Kuiper belt is named in honor of the Dutch astronomer Gerard Kuiper, who conjectured the existence of a version of the belt in 1951. There were researchers before and after him who proposed similar hypoetheses, such as Kenneth Edgeworth in the 1930s. The most direct prediction of the belt was by astronomer Julio Ángel Fernández, who published a paper in 1980 suggesting the existence of a comet belt beyond Neptune which could serve as a source for short-period comets.

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In this Dossier

Kuiper belt object in the context of Vanth (moon)

Vanth (formal designation (90482) Orcus I) is the only known moon of the large trans-Neptunian dwarf planet Orcus. It was discovered by Michael Brown and Terry-Ann Suer using images taken by the Hubble Space Telescope on 13 November 2005. The moon has a diameter of 443 km (275 mi), making it about half the size of Orcus and the third-largest moon of a trans-Neptunian object. Vanth is massive enough that it shifts the barycenter of the Orcus–Vanth system outside of Orcus, forming a binary system in which the two bodies revolve around the barycenter, much like the PlutoCharon system. It is hypothesized that both systems formed similarly, most likely by a giant impact early in the Solar System's history. Compared to Orcus, Vanth has a darker and slightly redder surface that supposedly lacks exposed water ice, resembling primordial Kuiper belt objects.

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Kuiper belt object in the context of Plutino

In astronomy, the plutinos are a dynamical group of trans-Neptunian objects that orbit in 2:3 mean-motion resonance with Neptune. This means that for every two orbits a plutino makes, Neptune orbits three times. The dwarf planet Pluto is the largest member as well as the namesake of this group. The next largest members are Orcus, Achlys, and Ixion. Plutinos are named after mythological creatures associated with the underworld.

Plutinos form the inner part of the Kuiper belt and represent about a quarter of the known Kuiper belt objects. They are also the most populous known class of resonant trans-Neptunian objects (also see adjunct box with hierarchical listing). The first plutino after Pluto itself, (385185) 1993 RO, was discovered on 16 September 1993.

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Kuiper belt object in the context of Ilmarë

Ilmarë, formal designation (174567) Varda I, is the only known moon of the large Kuiper belt object 174567 Varda. It was discovered by Keith Noll et al. in 2009, at a separation of about 0.12 arcsec, using discovery images taken by the Hubble Space Telescope on 26 April 2009, and reported in 2011. At approximately 403 km in diameter (about 45% that of its primary), it is the fourth-largest known moon of a trans-Neptunian object, after Pluto I Charon, Eris I Dysnomia, and Orcus I Vanth. Assuming that Ilmarë has the same albedo and density as Varda, Ilmarë would constitute approximately 8.4% of the system's mass, approximately 2.2×10 kg.

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