Oort cloud (ôrt,  rt)n. A swarm of comets orbiting the sun at a distance of one to two light-years, proposed as a source of comets that pass near the sun. [After Jan Hendrix Oort (1900-1992), Dutch astronomer.] |
Oort cloud [ɔːt]
n
(Astronomy & Space / Celestial Objects) a mass of comets orbiting the sun far beyond the orbit of Pluto, whose existence was first proposed by Jan Hendrick Oort (1900-92) in 1950
| Oort cloud (ôrt) A sphere-shaped mass of more than 100 billion comets that makes up the outer edge of the solar system, surrounding the Kuiper belt and the planets. Some comets from this area are drawn into the inner solar system by passing stars and other forces and take more than 200 years to make one complete orbit of the Sun. Compare Kuiper belt. |
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
| Noun | 1. | Oort cloud - (astronomy) a hypothetical huge collection of comets orbiting the sun far beyond the orbit of Pluto; perturbations (as by other stars) can upset a comet's orbit and may send it tumbling toward the sun astronomy, uranology - the branch of physics that studies celestial bodies and the universe as a whole aggregation, collection, accumulation, assemblage - several things grouped together or considered as a whole |
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