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KBOs

KBOs, or Kuiper Belt Objects, are icy bodies that orbit the Sun beyond Neptune, within the Kuiper Belt. This region extends roughly from about 30 to 55 astronomical units (AU) from the Sun and contains a large, distant population of remnants from the early solar system. KBOs range in size from small, kilometer-scale objects to dwarf planets such as Pluto.

Most KBOs are composed largely of frozen volatiles such as water, methane, and ammonia, mixed with dust

KBOs are dynamically classified by their orbits. Classical KBOs lie in relatively stable orbits in the belt

Notable KBOs include Pluto, Eris, Haumea, Makemake, and Orcus, with 47171 Arrokoth (formerly 2014 MU69) studied

and
complex
organic
compounds.
Surfaces
can
be
bright
or
very
dark,
and
many
show
evidence
of
ices
and
weathering.
The
diversity
of
surface
properties
is
linked
to
differences
in
size,
composition,
and
processing
by
solar
radiation
and
past
outgassing.
and
are
further
divided
into
cold
and
hot
populations
based
on
inclination.
Resonant
KBOs,
such
as
the
Plutinos
in
a
3:2
resonance
with
Neptune,
are
trapped
in
orbital
resonances
as
a
result
of
Neptune’s
outward
migration.
Scattered
disk
objects
and
detached
objects
have
more
eccentric
or
inclined
orbits,
extending
sometimes
beyond
the
main
belt.
by
the
New
Horizons
mission.
Pluto
remains
the
largest
well-studied
KBO
and
is
classified
as
a
dwarf
planet.
KBO
research,
including
ground-based
surveys
and
space
missions,
informs
models
of
solar
system
formation
and
the
distribution
of
primordial
ices
in
the
outer
solar
system.