Oort Cloud

See also: Oort cloud

English

Alternative forms

Etymology

Named after the Dutch astronomer Jan Hendrik Oort, who revived the Estonian astronomer Ernst Öpik’s idea from 1932 of a reservoir of long-period comets in the form of an orbiting cloud at the outermost edge of the Solar System in 1950 to resolve a paradox about the origin of comets.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈɔːrt klaʊd/
  • Hyphenation: Oort Cloud

Proper noun

the Oort Cloud

  1. (astronomy) The Solar System's Oort cloud, extending from 50,000 to 100,000 astronomical units (approximately 1 light year) from the sun; supposedly the source of most comets around the Solar System.

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Further reading

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