Interview with Dr. Ian Griffin – Part 4 of 4

Hubble Hunts Down Binary Objects at the Fringe of Our Solar System

NASA's Hubble Space Telescope snapped pictures of a double system of icy bodies in the Kuiper Belt. This composite picture shows the apparent orbit of one member of the pair. In reality, the objects, called 1998 WW31, revolve around a common center of gravity, like a pair of...

Artist's View of Kuiper Belt Object 1998 WW31

This is an artist's view of a Kuiper Belt binary object, called 1998 WW31. These icy bodies orbit each other at the fringe of our solar system. The illustration depicts one member of the duo in the foreground; its companion - the dark, round object - is in the background. The...

July 2001 – 1998 WW31

August 2001 – 1998 WW31

September 2001 - 1998 WW31

December 2001 – 1998 WW31

January 2002 – 1998 WW31

February 2002 – 1998 WW31

Relationship of the Kuiper Belt to the Oort Cloud

This illustration shows that the Kuiper Belt is shaped like a disk [see inset diagram] and resides within the shell-like structure of the Oort Cloud. Located on the outskirts of the solar system, the Kuiper Belt is a "junkyard" of countless icy bodies left over from the solar...

The Orbit of 1998 WW31 in the Kuiper Belt

This illustration compares the orbit of the binary Kuiper Belt object, called 1998 WW31, with the orbits of Pluto and Neptune, the outermost solar system planets. The inset picture, consisting of six snapshots taken by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, shows one member of the...

Binary Kuiper Belt Object 1998 WW31

This animation is an artist's impression of the appearance and location of a binary Kuiper Belt object.

Animation Representing the Path of Binary Kuiper Belt Object 1998 WW31

Interview with Dr. Ian Griffin – Part 1 of 4

"...Christian Veillet discovered that this particular Kuiper Belt object..."

Interview with Dr. Ian Griffin – Part 2 of 4

"Each component of the system is over 100 km across..."

Interview with Dr. Ian Griffin – Part 3 of 4

"Hubble's role has been to detail the orbit of the system..."