Oort Cloud - a hypothetical belt around the solar system, filled with asteroids and comets.To date, none of the telescope is not yet able to detect such small objects at a distance, but a lot of indirect evidence indicates that at the far boundaries of our solar system, there is a similar formation.However, do not confuse the Kuiper belt and the Oort cloud.The first is also similar to the asteroid belt and includes a number of small entities.It was discovered relatively recently, in two thousandth's, when it was discovered that beyond Pluto's orbit around the Sun revolve celestial bodies, some of which are even larger than the ninth planet, but not all of them were clear and was cleared orbit, constantly shifting in itspath under the influence of each other.There was a dilemma: on the one hand, they could hardly be called a planet, but on the other hand, according to their size they are larger than Pluto.For the first time in the history of modern scientists have a clear list of criteria to be met by a heavenly body to wear the status of the planet.As a result, Pluto has lost that status.In recent years, scientists have discovered dozens of objects in the Kuiper belt.The largest of them - Eris and Sedna.
And what is the Oort cloud?
If the Kuiper belt objects are readily available to modern telescopes, the body of the cloud distant from the Sun on a light year.Consider at this distance them directly through telescopes is quite difficult.Thus astrophysicists discovered dozens of planets, even in other star systems, but, firstly, it is almost all the giant planets like Jupiter, secondly, they do not occur on their own, but because of its gravitational effects on the star.However, the Oort cloud is literally sends us plenty of evidence of its existence.These are the comets that come with constant periodicity in the solar system, as the messengers of this sphere.Perhaps the most famous example is Halley's comet.The Oort cloud was named after the Dutch astrophysicist, who in the middle of the XX century, predicted his discovery, based on observations of long-period comets.This area, as well as the Kuiper belt consists of TNOs, which, in turn, are composed primarily of ice, as well as methane, carbon monoxide, hydrogen cyanide, ethane, and other substances.It is likely that there may be rotated and stone objects.
Origin sphere
Modern astrophysicists believe that the Kuiper Belt, the Oort cloud - it is what is left of the materials that formed the solar system, but not included in the audio world.About five billion years ago, much of the material of the exploded star of the first generation (ie formed relatively soon after the Big Bang) as a result of gravity and seals million years transformed into a new star - the sun.A small part of the protoplanetary disk rotating gathered in huge blocks and formed the planets of our system.The rest of the dust of the nebula, and smaller objects were thrown on the very edge of the Solar System, forming the Kuiper belt, and very very distant sphere of the Oort cloud.
