October 19, 2023

2023-10-18 07:25:58
Schematic diagram of the solar system, in which the outermost ring is the “Kuiper Belt”. (Shutterstock)[The Epoch Times, October 18, 2023](Compiled and reported by Epoch Times reporter Linda) “Science” magazine reported on October 3 a study that has not yet been officially published, which found that more than a dozen This large object is located further than the outer reaches of the Kuiper Belt, indicating that the Kuiper Belt is much wider than previously thought. The Kuiper Belt may be more than what it seems. It is a ring of thousands of large icy objects and dwarf planets surrounding the solar system. Scientists currently believe that the boundary of the Kuiper Belt is approximately 50 astronomical units (AU) from the center of the solar system, with each unit equal to the distance between the Earth and the Sun. However, according to the researchers’ preliminary estimates, these newly discovered “puzzling” objects may be lurking 60 astronomical units away. This is a difference of at least ten astronomical units. One possible explanation is that there is actually a “second” ring, located beyond the Kuiper Belt, in this little-known and underexplored region at the far edge of the solar system. Data from sensors aboard NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft led directly to the discovery. Launched in 2006, New Horizons observed Pluto in the Kuiper Belt at close range for the first time in history. “New Horizons” is like astronomers’ eyes at the edge of the solar system. It is currently 57 astronomical units away from the sun, and the Kuiper Belt can currently be seen in its “rearview mirror.” But its sensors kept detecting dust, an indicator of how often collisions occurred between objects in its vicinity. Alan Stern, principal investigator of the New Horizons mission and a planetary scientist at the Southwest Research Institute, told Science magazine: “The number of impacts has not decreased[by flying out of the Kuiper Belt]. “The simplest explanation for this is that there’s more out there that we haven’t discovered yet.” This gives astronomers a clue. Following New Horizons’ trajectory, they were able to narrow down the search for potential Kuiper Belt objects among hundreds of combined images of the night sky taken by the Subaru Telescope. Sure enough, they discovered twelve celestial bodies. No final conclusion yet. However, it is premature to draw final conclusions. So far, telescopes that have surveyed other parts of the outer solar system have hardly discovered any objects beyond the Kuiper Belt. “Why can’t we see these things?” Pedro Bernardinelli, an astronomer at the University of Washington who was not involved in the study, told Science magazine. “Is everyone just out of luck? It’s possible. , but the observation itself is indeed difficult.” However, this hypothesis is not a random guess. Hilke Sclichting, an astrophysicist at the University of California, Los Angeles, said the Hubble Space Telescope detected some star dimming, which may be due to undiscovered Kuiper Belt objects in the stars. Caused by passing ahead. “Are there more objects beyond 60 astronomical units? It’s possible,” Skriting told Science magazine. “Maybe that’s what we’re seeing, but I’m not sure yet.” ◇ Editor in charge: Ye Ziwei#
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