Facts about Trans-Neptunian Scattering
- 05
Scattered disc objects like Eris, discovered in 2005, are considered products of trans-Neptunian scattering that were dynamically displaced from their original formation regions.
- 04
Gravitational encounters during trans-Neptunian scattering can place objects into orbits extending thousands of astronomical units from the Sun.
- 03
During trans-Neptunian scattering, objects can be ejected entirely from the solar system or sent into the distant Oort Cloud reservoir.
- 02
Neptune's gravitational influence during trans-Neptunian scattering is thought to have shaped the orbital distribution of Kuiper Belt objects we observe today.
- 01
The scattered disc, a product of trans-Neptunian scattering, contains objects with highly eccentric orbits that were gravitationally perturbed by Neptune.