kuiper belt
The Dwarf Planet Quaoar
Quaoar, a dwarf planet that orbits within the Kuiper Belt, was discovered in 2002 by astronomers from Caltech. Like the…
What is the Oort Cloud?
At the edge of the Solar System, there exists a large cloud of icy material and rock, which is where…
Neptune’s Moon Triton
The planets of the outer Solar System are known for being strange, as are their many moons. This is especially…
New Horizons Mission to Pluto
Humans have been sending spacecraft to other planets, as well as asteroid and comets, for decades. But rarely have any…
NASA’s New Horizons Zooms By Pluto, Solar Systems Last Planet – King of The Kuiper Belt
APPLIED PHYSICS LABORATORY, LAUREL, MD - With this morning’s (July 14) do or die flyby of Pluto by NASA’s New…
New Horizons Phones Home, Flyby a Success
Watch Pluto grow in this series of photos taken during New Horizons' approach Whew! We're out of the woods. On schedule…
Big Discovery from NASA’s New Horizons; Pluto is Biggest Kuiper Belt Body
Plutophiles everywhere rejoice. On the eve of history’s first ever up close flyby of mysterious Pluto on Tuesday morning July…
Charon Up Close Reveals Colossal Chasms and Craters: 1 Day and 1 Million Miles Out from Pluto Flyby
Chasms, craters, and a dark north polar region are revealed in this image of Pluto’s largest moon Charon taken by…
Pluto’s Time to Shine Just Hours Away – A Guide and Timetable
Countdown to discovery! Not since Voyager 2's flyby of Neptune in 1989 have we flung a probe into the frozen…
What Is The Kuiper Belt?
Dr. Mike Brown is a professor of planetary astronomy at Caltech. He's best known as the man who killed Pluto,…