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    Oort cloud
    /ôrt kloud/
    • 1. a spherical cloud of small rocky and icy bodies postulated to orbit the sun beyond the orbit of Pluto and up to 1.5 light years from the sun, and to be the source of comets. Its existence was proposed by J. H. Oort.

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  3. en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Oort_cloudOort cloud - Wikipedia

    The Oort cloud (/ ɔːr t, ʊər t /), sometimes called the Öpik–Oort cloud, is theorized to be a vast cloud of icy planetesimals surrounding the Sun at distances ranging from 2,000 to 200,000 AU (0.03 to 3.2 light-years). The concept of such a cloud was proposed in 1950 by the Dutch astronomer Jan Oort, in whose honor the idea was named.

  4. www.space.com › 16401-oort-cloud-the-outer-solarWhat is the Oort cloud and where is it located? | Space

    Mar 9, 2023 · The Oort cloud is a collection of comets, small km-scale icy (and perhaps rocky) left-overs from the process of solar system formation. It is a spherical collection of bodies orbiting the sun....

  5. science.nasa.gov › solar-system › oort-cloudOort Cloud: Facts - NASA Science

    The Oort Cloud: What is It? In the silence and darkness between the stars, where our Sun appears as just a particularly bright star, a theorized group of icy objects collectively called the Oort Cloud coast along their orbits like lazy moths around a porch light.

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  7. www.britannica.com › science › Oort-cloudOort cloud | Astronomy & Formation Process | Britannica

    May 3, 2024 · Oort cloud, immense, roughly spherical cloud of icy small bodies that are inferred to revolve around the Sun at distances typically more than 1,000 times that of the orbit of Neptune, the outermost known major planet. Named for the Dutch astronomer Jan Oort, who demonstrated its existence, the Oort.

  8. spaceplace.nasa.gov › oort-cloud › enWhere Does the Solar System End? - NASA Space Place

    Aug 29, 2022 · The Short Answer: Beyond our solar system lies the Oort cloud. The Oort cloud is made of icy pieces of space debris the sizes of mountains and sometimes even larger. The Oort cloud is where some comets come from. Where does the solar system end?

  9. www.space.com › what-is-the-oort-cloudHow We Know about the Oort Cloud, Distant Home of Comets

    Mar 1, 2019 · How We Know about the Oort Cloud, Distant Home of Comets. News. By Paul Sutter. published 1 March 2019. Comets like ISON, which swung by the sun in 2013, likely began their journey inward from...

  10. www.universetoday.com › 32522 › oort-cloudWhat is the Oort Cloud? - Universe Today

    Aug 10, 2015 · Definition: The Oort Cloud is a theoretical spherical cloud of predominantly icy planetesimals that is believed to surround the Sun at a distance of up to around 100,000 AU (2 ly).

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