Consider the following statements regarding the Kuiper Belt: It revolv...
Astronomers have recently found compelling evidence suggesting the existence of an Earth-like planet in the distant Kuiper Belt of our solar system.
About Kuiper Belt:
- Kuiper belt, also called the Edgeworth-Kuiper belt, is a flat ring of small icy bodies that revolve around the Sun beyond the orbit of the planet Neptune.
- It is named after Gerard Kuiper, a Dutch-American astronomer who hypothesized the existence of such a region in the 1950s.
- There are millions of these icy objects, collectively referred to as Kuiper Belt objects (KBOs) or trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs), in this belt.
- The Kuiper Belt is a region of leftovers from the solar system's early history.
- It is thought to be the source of most of the observed short-period comets, particularly those that orbit the Sun in less than 20 years.
- Composition: The Kuiper Belt is primarily composed of small icy bodies, such as dwarf planets, asteroids, and comets.
- Pluto:
- Pluto, once considered the ninth planet in our solar system, is one of the most well-known Kuiper Belt objects.
- In 2006, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) reclassified Pluto as a dwarf planet, partly because of its location within the Kuiper Belt.
Hence only statement 2 is correct.
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Consider the following statements regarding the Kuiper Belt: It revolv...
Kuiper Belt is a region in our solar system that is located beyond the orbit of Neptune. It is named after the Dutch-American astronomer Gerard Kuiper, who predicted its existence. The Kuiper Belt is a vast area that is primarily composed of icy bodies such as dwarf planets, asteroids, and comets. Let's analyze the given statements to determine their correctness.
Statement 1: It revolves around the Sun near the orbit of the planet Mercury.
This statement is incorrect. The Kuiper Belt is located beyond the orbit of Neptune, which is the eighth planet from the Sun. It extends from the orbit of Neptune at about 30 astronomical units (AU) to approximately 55 AU from the Sun. One astronomical unit is the average distance between the Earth and the Sun, which is about 93 million miles or 150 million kilometers. Therefore, the Kuiper Belt is much farther from the Sun than the orbit of Mercury, which is the closest planet to the Sun.
Statement 2: It is primarily composed of dwarf planets, asteroids, and comets.
This statement is correct. The Kuiper Belt is mainly made up of icy bodies, including dwarf planets such as Pluto, Eris, Makemake, and Haumea. These dwarf planets have a similar composition to the larger planets but are smaller in size. Additionally, the Kuiper Belt contains numerous small icy objects, known as Kuiper Belt Objects (KBOs), which are similar to asteroids but contain more volatile substances like water ice. The Kuiper Belt is also the source of short-period comets, which are comets that have orbital periods of less than 200 years. These comets originate from the icy bodies within the Kuiper Belt and occasionally get perturbed into orbits that bring them closer to the Sun.
Therefore, the correct answer is option 'B' - 2 only.