Why is the Oort cloud of comets spherically distributed, while the Kuiper belt lies in the plane of the solar system?
2006-11-12 08:51:50 · 3 answers · asked by hunnk33 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
The Oort cloud is several light years in diameter and it merges with the Oort clouds of other nearby stars, which are distributed three dimensionally in space. The Oort cloud has little if anything to do with the formation of our solar system, and as such, it is more of a galactic thing than a solar system thing. The Kuiper belt is much nearer and is part of the original rotating disk that the solar system formed from. I hope this helps.
2006-11-12 09:05:59 · answer #1 · answered by Sciencenut 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Regardless of other answers you've received, the Oort cloud DID form within the same nebular material as the Solar System. The objects of the Oort cloud were ejected from the Solar System due to interactions with the gas-giant planets.
See the referenced website below for a further discussion on Oort cloud formation and its current characteristics.
2006-11-12 17:57:08 · answer #2 · answered by Chug-a-Lug 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Comets must have been made from the outer parts of the nebula that formed the sun, and not from the flat accretion disk that formed the planets.
2006-11-12 16:58:40 · answer #3 · answered by Roman Soldier 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋