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Oort
Cloud
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Proposed
by Jan Oort in 1950
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Oort
cloud objects yet to be see in the Oort cloud
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See
~ 1 per month in the form of a long period comet
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periods
of 10,000 to 30 million years!
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e.g.
Hale-Bopp in 1997
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Oort
cloud spherical
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otherwise
long period comets would all be in plane of solar system
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extends
from 500 AU to 50,000 AU
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nearest
star is ~250,000 AU
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Oort
cloud probably icy planetesimals that were ejected during formation of
solar system
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Probably
billions of objects in Oort cloud
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The
solar system had a messy childhood
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