Today's featured article
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The Kuiper belt is a region of the Solar System beyond the planets extending from the orbit of Neptune (at 30 AU) to approximately 50 AU from the Sun. It is similar to the asteroid belt, although it is far larger—20 times as wide and 20 to 200 times as massive. It consists mainly of small bodies, or remnants from the Solar System's formation. While the asteroid belt is composed primarily of rock, ices, and metal, the Kuiper objects are composed largely of frozen volatiles, such as methane, ammonia and water. The classical (low-eccentricity) belt is home to at least three dwarf planets: Pluto, Haumea, and Makemake. Some of the Solar System's moons, such as Neptune's Triton and Saturn's Phoebe,
are also believed to have originated in the region. Since the belt was
discovered in 1992, the number of known Kuiper belt objects has
increased to over a thousand, and more than 70,000 KBOs over 100 km (62 mi) in diameter are believed to exist. Pluto is the largest known member of the Kuiper belt, if the scattered disc is excluded. In Pluto's honour, the four currently accepted dwarf planets beyond Neptune's orbit are called " plutoids".
Recently featured: Draped Bust dollar – Hurricane John – Miss Meyers
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Did you know...
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In the news
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On this day...
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May 27: Pentecost (Western Christianity, 2012); Children's Day in Nigeria
- 1799 – War of the Second Coalition: Austrian forces defeated the French and captured the strategically important town of Winterthur, Switzerland.
- 1937 – The Golden Gate Bridge (pictured), at the time the world's longest suspension bridge by span, opened between San Francisco and Marin County, California.
- 1940 – Second World War: Soldiers of the Royal Norfolk Regiment were executed by German troops after surrendering.
- 1962 – A fire at a landfill in Centralia, Pennsylvania, US, spread to an abandoned coal mine, where it continues burning to this day.
- 2001 – Members of the Islamist separatist group Abu Sayyaf kidnapped 20 tourists in Palawan, Philippines, triggering a hostage crisis that lasted over twelve months.
More anniversaries: May 26 – May 27 – May 28
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Today's featured picture
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A Century of Progress International Exposition was a world's fair held in Chicago
from 1933 to 1934 to celebrate the city's centennial. The theme of the
fair was technological innovation. Its motto was "Science Finds,
Industry Applies, Man Adapts" and its architectural symbol was the Sky Ride, a transporter bridge
perpendicular to the shore on which one could ride from one side of the
fair to the other. Originally, the fair was scheduled only to run until
November 12, 1933, but it was so successful that it was opened again to run from May 26 to October 31, 1934. Much of the fair site is now home to Northerly Island park and McCormick Place.
Artist: Weimer Pursell; Restoration: Jujutacular
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