The Oort Cloud
The Oort cloud is a spherical region of space that is thought to be home to billions of comets. It lies far beyond the planets and dwarf planets, surrounding our Solar System at a distance of up to 3 light-years from the Sun.
Facts About The Oort Cloud:
- We're not completely sure the Oort cloud actually exists, but we have some good reasons to suspect that there may be billions or trillions of comets out there.
- The distance to the Oort cloud could be anywhere from 2,000 to 200,000 au, that is up to 200,000 times the distance from the Sun to Earth.
- It is suspected that the Oort cloud is the source of some comets we find in the inner Solar System. It is likely that occasionally a comet from the cloud will have its orbit perturbed and find itself heading inwards.
Classification: Region
Names: Oort cloud, Öpik-Oort cloud
Naming: Named after Dutch astronomer Jan Oort, who first proposed the cloud hypothesis.