Meaning of scattered disc object | Babel Free

Definitions

Any trans-Neptunian object whose orbit is wholly within the scattered disc.

Equivalents

Examples

“Short-period comets (those with periods up to 200 years) are thought to be scattered disc objects perturbed from their orbits towards the inner solar system by the gravitational pull of Neptune.”

“Scattered disc objects typically have highly eccentric orbits which can be inclined up to 40° relative to the orbital plane of the inner solar system.”

“This conclusion means that the first scattered disc object, 1996 TL₆₆, was not unique, it was just the harbinger of a much larger population of objects waiting to be discovered. More scattered disc objects have since been found but it may be some time before this population can be mapped in detail.”

“Two of the first scattered disc objects (SDO) to be recognised are 1995 TL8 (at 53 AU from the Sun) and 1996 TL66 (at 83 AU).[…]One of the major scattered disc objects is Eris (2003 UB313, previously known as Xena).”

“2006[…]The International Astronomical Union reclassifies Pluto as a dwarf planet, together with the scattered disc object Eris and the asteroid Ceres.”

CEFR level