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Kuiper Belt Object Occults Star

Kuiper Belt Object Occults Star
This is an artist's impression of a small Kuiper Belt Object (KBO) occulting a star. NASA's Hubble Space Telescope recorded this brief event and allowed astronomers to determine that the KBO was only one-half of a mile across, setting a new record for the smallest object ever seen in the Kuiper Belt.

About the Object

  • Distance
    DistanceThe physical distance from Earth to the astronomical object. Distances within our solar system are usually measured in Astronomical Units (AU). Distances between stars are usually measured in light-years. Interstellar distances can also be measured in parsecs.
    4.2 billion miles (6.8 billion kilometers)
  • Dimensions
    DimensionsThe physical size of the object or the apparent angle it subtends on the sky.
    3,200 feet across

About the Data

  • Data Description
    Data DescriptionProposal: A description of the observations, their scientific justification, and the links to the data available in the science archive.
    Science Team: The astronomers who planned the observations and analyzed the data. "PI" refers to the Principal Investigator.
    The science team includes: H. Schlichting (California Institute of Technology/University of Toronto), E. Ofek (California Institute of Technology/Einstein Fellow), M. Wenz (NASA/GSFC), R. Sari (California Institute of Technology/Hebrew University), A. Gal-Yam (Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel), M. Livio and E. Nelan (STScI), and S. Zucker (Tel Aviv University).
  • Instrument
    InstrumentThe science instrument used to produce the data.
    HST>FGS
  • Object Description
    Object DescriptionThe type of astronomical object.
    Kuiper Belt Object
  • Release Date
    December 16, 2009
  • Science Release
    Hubble Finds Smallest Kuiper Belt Object Ever Seen
  • Credit
    NASA, ESA, and G. Bacon (STScI)

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Details

Last Updated
Mar 28, 2025
Contact
Media

Claire Andreoli
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland
claire.andreoli@nasa.gov