The Search at Edge of the Solar System

Is there a hard edge to the solar system? This question led to a big, breakthrough discovery that changed the way we picture the solar system - and every other solar system in the universe. The Kuiper Belt is a gigantic field of small, icy objects beyond Neptune, “planet scraps” left over from the formation of the planets. For many, many years, no one believed it might exist. Until astronomers Jane Luu and David Jewitt decided to see what was out there. Jane Luu tells the story of how she helped discover the Kuiper Belt. We have an exciting announcement! We’ve partnered with Castbox to launch Tumble Premium, a channel on the Castbox app featuring ad-free episodes and all our bonus interview episodes too! It’s $1.35/month through the app, or $16/year. You’ll be helping support the show while listening on a great podcast app! Don’t worry, we’ve still got the same great audio extras available on Patreon, too. This week, we have more from our interview with Jane Luu on ‘Oumuamua, the mysterious, weirdly shaped, potentially alien (yes, THAT kind of alien!) space object. Pledge at patreon.com/tumblepodcast. Want to learn more about the Kuiper Belt? Check out our blog at www.sciencepodcastforkids.com.