Kuiper Belt

noun

Kui·​per Belt ˈkī-pər- How to pronounce Kuiper Belt (audio)
: a band of small celestial bodies beyond the orbit of Neptune from which many short-period comets are believed to originate compare oort cloud

Examples of Kuiper Belt in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Jupiter-family comets, named for their gravitational ties to Jupiter, are icy relics of the Kuiper Belt, a region beyond Neptune. Mark R. Weaver, Newsweek, 4 Dec. 2024 Astronomers have been searching the Kuiper Belt for a hidden planet for more than a decade. Jacopo Prisco, CNN, 5 Nov. 2024 New Horizons will exit the Kuiper Belt in 2028 or 2029 and approach the solar system's edge. Jamie Carter, Forbes, 22 Oct. 2024 The New Horizons spacecraft flew past Pluto in 2015, returning stunning images and other data about the Kuiper Belt Object Formerly Known as a Planet. Phil Plait, Scientific American, 4 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for Kuiper Belt 

Word History

Etymology

Gerald A. Kuiper †1973 U.S. (Dutch-born) astronomer

First Known Use

1988, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Kuiper Belt was in 1988

Dictionary Entries Near Kuiper Belt

Cite this Entry

“Kuiper Belt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Kuiper%20Belt. Accessed 25 Dec. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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