Beyond Pluto: Exploring the Outer Limits of the Solar System

John Davies (Royal Observatory, Edinburgh)

Beyond Pluto: Exploring the Outer Limits of the Solar System
Format
Hardback
Publisher
Cambridge University Press
Country
United Kingdom
Published
19 July 2001
Pages
246
ISBN
9780521800198

Beyond Pluto: Exploring the Outer Limits of the Solar System

John Davies (Royal Observatory, Edinburgh)

In the last ten years, the solar system has more than doubled in size. For the first time in almost two centuries an entirely new population of planetary objects has been found. This ‘Kuiper Belt’ of minor planets beyond Neptune has revolutionised our understanding of how the solar system was formed and has finally explained the origin of the enigmatic outer planet Pluto. This is the fascinating story of how theoretical physicists decided that there must be a population of unknown bodies beyond Neptune and how a small band of astronomers set out to find them. What they discovered was a family of ancient planetesimals whose orbits and physical properties were far more complicated than anyone expected. We follow the story of this discovery, and see how astronomers, theoretical physicists and one incredibly dedicated amateur observer have come together to explore the frozen boundary of the solar system.

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