Journey to the Farthest Planet

Journey To The Farthest Planet

Journey to the farthest planet

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Pluto is among the least understood planets. This is partly because the planet is so far that astronomers are unable to see its surface well. Some of the peculiarities about Pluto that has elicited strong interest include its peculiar orbit beyond Neptune.  There was even suspicion that Pluto was not a solid planet but a mass or debris orbiting in the same region. This supposed mass was referred to as Kuiper Belt.

However, despite the lack of evidence that Pluto did not fall under the definition of a Kuiper Belt, the scientific community believed such a belt (bodies of objects orbiting in the same region) must exist to explain the reason why short-period comets orbit close to the planet of the solar system.  Astronomers focused their energies in discovering previously unknown bodies beyond Neptune.  Telescopes equipped with electronic light detectors enhanced their searches. These telescopes were superior to the previous ones that only had photographic plates.

Astronomers discovered the first Kuiper Belt object (KBO) in 1992. In the following years, scientists discovered even more KBOs with diameters of between 50 KM to 1,200 kilometers. It is estimated that Kuiper Belts contain hundreds of thousands of objects.  It has been confirmed; therefore, that Pluto lies in a region that contains hundreds of smaller objects moving in their own orbits.

Uniqueness of the region surrounding Pluto has been of interest because some astronomers believe this area contains important clues that can unravel the origin of the solar system. Of interest is the planet Pluto itself, its moon Charon, and the objects that make up the Kuiper Belt. The biggest problem to exploration of the region surrounding Pluto is distance. Modern telescopes do not show clear images. Even the powerful Hubble Space Telescope has not been able to provide good and...