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Kuiper Belt Research Papers

Decent Essays

The Kuiper Belt is a ‘belt-like’ disc in our outer Solar System that extends from the orbit of Neptune at about 30 astronomical units (AU) from the Sun to approximately 50 AU [1]. It is like a larger version of the asteroid belt, and is mostly made up of remnants of the formation of our Solar system [2]. As the Kuiper Belt gets further away from the Sun, it also becomes denser. At its section that should be the densest it instead stops suddenly, and this abrupt ending is known as the Kuiper Cliff. The reason for this dramatic falloff is thus unknown [3], but there is one interesting theory. Patryk Lykawka of Kobe University claims that the gravitational pull of a so far unseen planet may be responsible for the behavior of the Kuiper Belt. …show more content…

So, if there is one there, why can we not see it? There are many possibilities. If there is sentient life on this mysterious planet, it is possible they would have superior technology than the technology we have here on earth. Superior technology that could give them the ability to hide or camouflage their planet from anyone they did not wish to know about its existence. Another possibility is that the planet is made of a substance that we currently have no knowledge of. As of now we know of the existence of dark matter and dark energy, but we do not know what they are exactly. Scientists have also discovered tetra neutrons, which are stable clusters of four neutrons, and which some claim are the nuclei of “element zero”, an element that is missing from the periodic table [7]. It is possible that this hidden planet might be similar to how Ultra-Violet light is to the human eye; that is to say, even though we know it’s there, we are simply unable to see …show more content…

Just because the planet is not within what we call the “Goldilocks Zone” does not mean that there is no possibility for life. Some television shows and movies have theorized that not all life may be carbon-based like the life on our planet is. The conditions and atmosphere of a planet in the outer reaches of our solar system might be ideal for a strain of life that we have never considered. If they are able to conceal a whole planet from us, then these aliens would likely have superior knowledge and technology than us. These hidden aliens could be responsible for all sorts of strange phenomenon that occur, everything from UFO sightings and alleged abductions, to the disappearance of historical figures and what we refer to as ‘lost

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