Kuiper belt

Meanings

1. A region of space between thirty and fifty astronomical units from the Sun, roughly confined within a thick band around the ecliptic of the Solar System, and populated by many thousands of trans-Neptunian objects.

1. A type of asteroid belt, expected to exist in the outer regions of planetary systems, that forms an annular belt or disc around the system's center, lies beyond the region of major-planet formation, and at its outer extent may reach the inner region of an Oort cloud.

1. Alternative letter-case form of Kuiper belt.

Etymology

Named after the Dutch astronomer Gerard Kuiper (1905–1973), who conjectured the existence of a version of the belt in 1951.