Unimaginably cold, immense, and ancient, the Kuiper Belt extends from just beyond Neptune's orbit to roughly 100 times the Earth's distance from the Sun. It contains almost 40 times the volume of the rest of the Solar system combined, far more asteroids than the better-known Asteriod Belt, uncounted thousands of comets, and at least one world larger than Pluto. How is the Kuiper Belt connected with the origin of the solar system, and Earth's early history? How is a Kuiper Belt Object different from a planet, or an asteroid? Are there any more big planets out there? Keith will answer all these questions and more. In addition, he will explain how he achieved the first-recorded visual observation of Dwarf Planet Eris (aka Planet 10)!

Keith is a software engineer and biomedical device consultant. He has been a dedicated amateur astronomer since 1996, and is the lecture series coordinator for the Rockland Astronomy Club.

Part of the Math-Science Lecture Series