Kuiper belt
/ˈkʌɪpə bɛlt
/noun
A region of the solar system beyond the orbit of Neptune, believed to contain many comets, asteroids, and other small bodies made largely of ice.The objects in the Kuiper belt represent remnants from the formation of our solar system....
- Scientists speculate that it could be a body from the distant Kuiper belt, way out in the outer solar system.
- If Pluto were discovered today, it may not have been called a planet, because it is just one among a myriad of objects in the Kuiper belt.
Origin
1990s: named after Gerard P. Kuiper (1905–73), Dutch-born US astronomer.