Oort

/ ɔːt /

noun

1. Jan Hendrick. 1900–92, Dutch astronomer, who confirmed (1927) and developed the theory of galactic rotation. He was the first to propose (1950) the existence of a mass of comets orbiting the sun far beyond the orbit of Pluto (the Oort cloud )

Example Sentences

And when people are ogling the night sky this week, they should also keep an eye out for two additional celestial sightings — Saturn and the appearance of an ancient Oort cloud comet, she added.

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And what, you ask, is the Oort Cloud?

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The Oort Cloud, a hypothesized shell of icy worlds at an unfathomable distance from the sun, has never been directly seen—and VRO won’t change that.

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However, the researchers think it's most likely that the Oort cloud is made of a collection of much smaller icy objects.

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In about 300 years, they will pass through the Oort Cloud, a distant and sparse ring around the sun which astronomers believe is the origin of many comets in the solar system.

Read more on Salon