The Oort Cloud – The Edge of the Solar System

Podcast: Talking Science · Stavros kinnas

Opublikowano: 2026-09-10

Far beyond Neptune, past even the icy Kuiper Belt, astronomers believe an enormous, invisible shell of ancient comets surrounds the entire solar system: the Oort Cloud. This episode traces how a Dutch astronomer inferred its existence from comet orbits alone, why it has never been directly observed, how it differs from the closer, flatter Kuiper Belt, and what "the edge of the solar system" actually means once you look closely at the question. You'll come away understanding what the Oort Cloud is thought to be and how it likely formed, why long-period comets are the key evidence...