Discovery of outer solar system objects reshapes formation theories

According to observations of space using NASA's New Horizons probe, a population of objects in the Solar System's outer regions has been discovered, reports Cosmos Magazine. Observations indicate that the mentioned system was formed from a much larger disk of planetary matter than previously assumed.

The authors of the study, published in the "Planetary Science Journal of the American Astronomical Society," decided to take a closer look at the Kuiper Belt – an area extending beyond Neptune's orbit. It is located at a distance of about 6–8 billion kilometres from the Sun. At such a great distance, the NASA New Horizons probe, in collaboration with Japan's Subaru telescope, allowed for the discovery of something that scientists had not been able to see before.

Both observational instruments discovered objects located beyond the Kuiper Belt – at a distance of 10–13 billion kilometres from the Sun. Scientists additionally emphasize that they identified a space at a distance of 5–10 billion kilometres. New bodies were discovered only at a greater distance (the aforementioned 10–13 billion kilometres).

– Our solar system’s Kuiper Belt long appeared to be very small in comparison with many other planetary systems, but our results suggest that idea might just have arisen due to an observational bias – said the lead author of the study, Wes Fraser, quoted by Cosmos Magazine.

So why is the discovery made by scientists, involving the New Horizons probe and the Subaru telescope, so significant for science? Scientists admit that if further research confirms that there is an undiscovered population of cosmic objects beyond the Kuiper Belt, the perception of how the entire Solar System actually formed may change.

The presence of these bodies could indicate that the nebula from which the Solar System formed was much larger than previously assumed. However, to confirm this thesis, it is necessary to obtain further readings from New Horizons. Scientists continue to research beyond the Kuiper Belt.

– We still have much to learn about what this distant population actually looks like, but what’s fascinating is that there is a new Kuiper Belt population out there at all, – summarizes Fraser. He notes that the disk of planetary matter that led to the formation of planets and other structures in the Solar System 5 billion years ago may be much larger than scientists previously claimed. Until now, however, no one had noticed that there could be additional objects beyond the Kuiper Belt.