Kuiper belt

See also: Kuiper Belt

English

The Kuiper belt

Etymology

Named after the astronomer Gerard Kuiper (1905-1973); and belt.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈkaɪ.pə(ɹ).bɛlt/, IPA^(key): /ˈkʌɪpə bɛlt/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈkaɪ.pɚ.bɛlt/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Hyphenation: Kui‧per belt

Note: “Kuiper” is a Dutch surname and may also be pronounced in the Dutch manner. Gerard Kuiper himself lived in the U.S. and used the American pronunciation above. The Dutch word kuiper and the English word cooper have the same etymology and meaning, so that's another possibility.

Proper noun

Kuiper belt

1. (astronomy) A region of space between 30 and 50 astronomical units from the Sun, roughly confined within a thick band around the ecliptic of the Solar System. This area is populated by many thousands of trans-Neptunian objects.

Synonyms

• Edgeworth-Kuiper belt

Hypernyms

• belt

Derived terms

• Kuiper belt object

Related terms

• Kuiper Belt environment
• Kuiper belt object / Kuiper Belt object

Translations

region of space in the Solar System

• Afrikaans: Kuipergordel
• Armenian: Կոյպերի գոտի (Koyperi goti)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 柯伊伯帶／柯伊伯带 (zh) (Kēyībó dài), 柯伊柏帶／柯伊柏带 (Kēyībǎi dài)

• Czech: Kuiperův pás (cs) m
• Dutch: Kuipergordel m
• Finnish: Kuiperin vyöhyke (fi)
• French: ceinture de Kuiper (fr) f
• Galician: Cinto de Kuiper m
• German: Kuipergürtel (de) m, Kuiper-Gürtel (de) m
• Hungarian: Kuiper-öv (hu)
• Italian: fascia di Kuiper f
• Japanese: カイパーベルト (Kaipāberuto)
• Macedonian: Кајперов Појас m (Kajperov Pojas)
• Polish: Pas Kuipera (pl) m
• Portuguese: cinturão de Kuiper (Brazil), cintura de Kuiper f (Portugal)
• Romanian: Centura Kuiper f
• Russian: по́яс Ко́йпера m (pójas Kójpera)
• Spanish: cinturón de Kuiper m
• Swedish: Kuiperbältet (sv) (def. singular)

Noun

Kuiper belt (plural Kuiper belts)

1. (astronomy) 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.

Hypernyms

• asteroid belt
• belt

Hyponyms

• Kuiper disc / Kuiper disk

References

• KUIPER BELT