Lecture 43: Icy Worlds of the Outer Solar System
Beyond the orbit of Neptune lies the realm of the icy worlds, ranging in\nsize from Neptune's giant moon Triton and the dwarf planets Pluto and\nEris, all the way down to the nuclei of comets a few kilometers across.\nThis lecture discussed the icy bodies of the Trans-Neptunian regions of\nthe Solar System, discussing the basic properties of Triton (the best\nstudied such object), Pluto, Eris, and the Kuiper Belt, introducing the\ndynamical families of Trans-Neptunian Objects that record in their\norbits the slow migration of Neptune outwards during the early history\nof the Solar System. The Kuiper Belt is the icy analog of the main\nAsteroid Belt of the inner Solar System: both are shaped by their\ngravitational interaction with giant gas planets (Jupiter for the\nasteroids, Neptune for the KBOs), and are composed of leftover raw\nmaterials from the formation of their respective regions of the Solar\nSystem. Recorded 2007 Nov 27 in 1000 McPherson Lab on the Columbus\ncampus of The Ohio State University.