Astronomers disagree about the exact location of the boundary of the solar system. Scientists are currently looking at three main candidates: the Kuiper Belt, the heliopause (the edge of the heliosphere), and the Oort Cloud.
The Kuiper Belt is a ring of rocky objects orbiting the Sun beyond the orbit of Neptune, extending 30 to 50 AU from the Sun. Many astronomers agree that the Kuiper belt is the boundary of our solar system, as it is the edge of the protoplanetary disk where the planets, their moons, and asteroids were born.
The heliopause is considered another candidate for the role of the boundary of the Solar System. It is the edge of the heliosphere where the solar wind and the Sun's magnetic field interact with the interstellar wind and interstellar magnetic field. This border is not a perfect sphere, but resembles an elongated drop due to the influence of interstellar plasma.
The Oort Cloud is considered the most likely potential boundary of the Solar System, located approximately 100,000 AU from the Sun. This is the edge of that part of space where objects can still revolve around the Sun under the influence of its gravity.
As a reminder, during a new study, scientists studied the protoplanetary disk surrounding the star PDS 70. Previously, two planets and a large concentration of water vapor had already been discovered there. This indicates the possibility of the formation of worlds similar to Earth with a surface covered with water. Now scientists have discovered a third planet — all three worlds are in a "unique orbital resonance."
No comments:
Post a Comment