- Original Caption Released with Image:
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These four panels show the location of the newly discovered planet-like
object, dubbed "Sedna," which lies in the farthest reaches of our solar
system. Each panel, moving counterclockwise from the upper left,
successively zooms out to place Sedna in context. The first panel shows
the orbits of the inner planets, including Earth, and the asteroid belt
that lies between Mars and Jupiter. In the second panel, Sedna is shown
well outside the orbits of the outer planets and the more distant Kuiper
Belt objects. Sedna's full orbit is illustrated in the third panel along
with the object's current location. Sedna is nearing its closest approach
to the Sun; its 10,000 year orbit typically takes it to far greater
distances. The final panel zooms out much farther, showing that even
this large elliptical orbit falls inside what was previously thought
to be the inner edge of the Oort cloud. The Oort cloud is a spherical
distribution of cold, icy bodies lying at the limits of the Sun's
gravitational pull. Sedna's presence suggests that this Oort cloud
is much closer than scientists believed.
- Image Credit:
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NASA/Caltech
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