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The Oort cloud is a cloud of comets situated about 50,000 to 100,000 astronomical units from the sun. It is believed to be the source of most or all comets entering the solar system (at least some short-period comets may come from the Kuiper Belt). The Oort cloud was proposed in 1950 by Dutch astronomer [Jan Oort]? to explain an apparent contradition: comets are destroyed by several passes through the inner solar system, yet if the comets we observe had existed since the origin of the solar system, all would have been destroyed by now. According to the theory, the Oort cloud contains millions of comet nuclei, which are stable because the sun's radiation is weak at their distance. The cloud provides a continual supply of new comets, replacing those that are destroyed. |
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The Oort cloud is a cloud of comets situated about 50,000 to 100,000 astronomical units from the sun. It is believed to be the source of most or all comets entering the solar system (at least some short-period comets may come from the Kuiper Belt). The Oort cloud was proposed in 1950 by Dutch astronomer [Jan Oort]? to explain an apparent contradition: comets are destroyed by several passes through the inner solar system, yet if the comets we observe had existed since the origin of the solar system, all would have been destroyed by now. According to the theory, the Oort cloud contains millions of comet nuclei, which are stable because the sun's radiation is weak at their distance. The cloud provides a continual supply of new comets, replacing those that are destroyed. |
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