New Horizons, NASA’s probe exploring the outer Solar System, has uncovered surprising evidence that the Kuiper Belt—a vast ring of icy debris beyond Neptune—may extend much farther than previously thought. The probe’s Venetia Burney Student Dust Counter detected higher levels of dust particles between 45 and 55 astronomical units from the Sun, suggesting the presence of more icy rocks and potential collisions that produce this dust. This finding aligns with recent telescope observations indicating the inner main region of the Kuiper Belt could reach up to 80 astronomical units. As New Horizons continues its journey, now over 58 astronomical units from the Sun, it may reveal an entirely new population of bodies in our Solar System. This groundbreaking discovery, which could reshape our understanding of the Solar System’s most distant regions, has been reported in The Astrophysical Journal Letters.
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