Exploring the Kuiper Belt and Beyond

In 1988, Professor David JWT from the University of Hawaii began searching for objects beyond Neptune. Using a scale model of the solar system with fruits and vegetables, he illustrated the vastness of the Kyper belt. Despite initial speculation, in 1992, JWT and Jane Lou discovered a new object beyond Pluto, suggesting the existence of thousands of icy bodies. This discovery challenged the status of Pluto as a planet and expanded our understanding of the solar system.

What was Professor David JWT's main objective in 1988?

• To study the sun's activity

• To find a new planet within the solar system

• To discover an object beyond Neptune

• To map the entire solar system

Which fruit or vegetable was used to represent the sun in the scale model?

• A ball

• A potato

• A grain of rice

• A macadamia nut

At what distance from the sun is Uranus located in the scale model?

• 20 AU

• 30 AU

• 5 AU

• 10 AU

What does the Kuiper Belt start beyond?

• Saturn

• Mars

• Jupiter

• Neptune

What analogy is used to describe the difficulty of finding objects in the Kuiper Belt?

• Finding a needle in a haystack

• Finding a grain of rice on a mountainside

• Finding a pearl in the ocean

• Finding a star in the sky

In what year did Professor David JWT and Jane Lou discover a new object?

• 1994

• 1992

• 1988

• 1990

How does the size of the discovered object compare to Pluto?

• It is half the size of Pluto

• It is the same size as Pluto

• It is twice the size of Pluto

• It is a tenth the size of Pluto

What was the significance of finding one object in a small part of the sky?

• It indicated there could be thousands more objects

• It suggested there were no more objects to find

• It showed the Kuiper Belt was smaller than expected

• It proved Pluto was the only object in the Kuiper Belt

What does the discovery imply about Pluto's status?

• Pluto is the center of the solar system

• Pluto might not be a planet

• Pluto is the only planet beyond Neptune

• Pluto is the largest planet

What are the icy bodies beyond Neptune thought to be?

• Early planetary formations

• Escaped asteroids

• Fragments of the moon

• Remnants of comets