In a collaborative effort between ground-based astronomy and space exploration, the Subaru Telescope and NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft are uncovering unexpected secrets at the edge of our solar system. Recent observations suggest a population of small celestial bodies far beyond the known Kuiper Belt, challenging our understanding of the solar system’s formation.

New Horizons: A Journey to the Solar System’s Edge

Launched in 2006, New Horizons is the only spacecraft to have traversed the Kuiper Belt while conducting observations. Its narrow field-of-view camera, however, requires assistance in identifying potential targets. This is where the Subaru Telescope, with its powerful wide-field camera, plays a crucial role.

Subaru Telescope: Expanding the Search
Since 2004, the Subaru Telescope has partnered with New Horizons to locate Kuiper Belt Objects (KBOs). Early observations, hampered by the dense stellar background near the Milky Way’s center, still managed to discover 24 KBOs.

In 2020, the Subaru Telescope’s Hyper Suprime-Cam (HSC) began deeper observations. By 2023, 239 KBOs had been identified. Most notably, 11 objects were found beyond the known Kuiper Belt, at distances of 70-90 astronomical units (AU) from the Sun.

Unexpected Findings: A New Population of KBOs?

The discovery of a potential cluster of objects at such vast distances is surprising. This region was previously thought to be a ‘valley’ with few objects. If confirmed, it could indicate a primordial solar nebula larger than previously thought, with implications for our understanding of planet formation.
Dr. Fumi Yoshida of the University of Occupational and Environmental Health Sciences and the Planetary Exploration Research Center, Chiba Institute of Technology, emphasizes the importance of these findings for understanding the solar system’s formation history and comparing it with exoplanetary systems.

Continuing the Exploration

As New Horizons continues its journey deeper into space, currently 60 AU from the Sun, the Subaru Telescope continues its search for more distant objects. The research team is optimistic about future discoveries and the insights they may offer into the formation and evolution of our solar system.

The full results of this research are set to be published in two upcoming papers in the Planetary Science Journal.

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