Go Back
  • For Business
  • |
  • Warnings
  • Data Suite
  • Newsletters
  • Advertising
  • Superior Accuracy™
President Trump to visit flood-ravaged Kerrville as search continues Chevron right
New flash flood threat looms in Texas as heat scorches recovery zone. Chevron right

Columbus, OH

95°F
Location Chevron down
Location News Videos
Use Current Location
Recent

Columbus

Ohio

95°
No results found.
Try searching for a city, zip code or point of interest.
settings
Columbus, OH Weather
Today WinterCast Local {stormName} Tracker Hourly Daily Radar MinuteCast Monthly Air Quality Health & Activities

Around the Globe

Hurricane Tracker

Severe Weather

Radar & Maps

News

News & Features

Astronomy

Business

Climate

Health

Recreation

Sports

Travel

For Business

Warnings

Data Suite

Newsletters

Advertising

Superior Accuracy™

Video

Winter Center

AccuWeather Early Hurricane Center Top Stories Trending Today Astronomy Heat Climate Health Recreation In Memoriam Case Studies Blogs & Webinars

News / Astronomy

Oort cloud resembles a galaxy, new study finds

By Mark Moran, UPI

Published Feb 24, 2025 11:43 AM EDT | Updated Feb 24, 2025 11:43 AM EDT

Copied

Partner Content

UPI

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope turned to the famed ringed world of Saturn for its first near-infrared observations of the planet in 2023. The Oort clous is thought to have been formed by remnants of Jupiter and other large planets. (Photo credit: of NASA/UPI | License Photo)

Feb. 23 (UPI) -- A shell of icy objects at the edge of the solar system known as the Oort cloud has a pair of spiral arms that resemble a miniature galaxy, new research suggests.

Until now, the shape of the cloud and how it is affected by forces beyond our solar system have not been largely understood. But the new research, published Feb. 16 at arXiv, says the cloud may look like a spiral disk, one of the key characteristics necessary to be called an independent galaxy. The work has not yet been peer-reviewed.

The Oort cloud was born out of remnants of the solar system's giant planets, Jupiter, Neptune, Uranus and Saturn, after they formed 4.6 billion years ago. Some of the remnants are so large that some scientists consider them dwarf planets.

The Oort cloud's inner edge sits as far as 5,000 astronomical units from the sun, and its outer edge is as far as 100,000 AU away. One AU is 93 million miles, the average distance from Earth to the sun. So, depending on the actual distance, NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft, which is traveling a million miles a day, won't reach the edge of the Oort cloud for 300 years and won't exit it for another 300,000.

The bodies in the cloud are so small and faint when measured with Earth-based technology, the researchers who did the new study used data gathered from the orbits of comets and gravitational forces from within and beyond our solar system to create a model of the Oort cloud's structure. They are trying to better understand the makeup and origins of the Oort cloud because it could shed some light on the history of our solar system's formation.

Read more:

Northern states to gain over 100 minutes of daylight in March
Debris from Blue Origin and SpaceX rockets found in Bahamas and Europe
Here's why an asteroid’s chances of hitting Earth keep shifting
Report a Typo

Weather News

Weather News

A week after deadly Texas flooding, hope fades but resilience grows

Jul. 11, 2025
Severe Weather

Rounds of severe storms to rattle, drench central US

Jul. 11, 2025
Severe Weather

Is the US seeing worse flooding this summer? Here’s what’s happening

Jul. 11, 2025
video

Before-and-after pictures show devastation caused by Texas floods

Jul. 9, 2025
Severe Weather

Severe weather to rumble in the central US through the holiday weekend

Jul. 6, 2025
Weather News

Record sargassum seaweed piles up on Caribbean islands, Gulf

Jul. 2, 2025
Weather News

Alabama teen in ICU after lightning strike hits boat, causing burns an...

Jul. 2, 2025
Show more Show less Chevron down

Topics

AccuWeather Early

Hurricane Center

Top Stories

Trending Today

Astronomy

Heat

Climate

Health

Recreation

In Memoriam

Case Studies

Blogs & Webinars

Top Stories

Weather Forecasts

Thunderstorms to fuel flash flooding threat in Texas

23 minutes ago

Weather News

President Trump visits Texas Hill Country as flood recovery continues

4 hours ago

Weather News

Camp Mystic’s owner warned of floods for decades

9 hours ago

AccuWeather Ready

Is your house in a flood zone? This map has the answer

3 hours ago

Severe Weather

Is the US seeing worse flooding this summer? Here’s what’s happening

8 hours ago

More Stories

Featured Stories

Health

How can families handle new anxieties around summer camp?

3 hours ago

Weather News

Viral pygmy hippo Moo Deng celebrates her first birthday

8 hours ago

Weather News

Orcas are bringing humans gifts of food – but why?

7 hours ago

Business

Samsung is looking into more AI devices potentially including earrings...

7 hours ago

Weather News

The US has a plan to breed millions of flies and drop them from planes

1 day ago

AccuWeather Astronomy Oort cloud resembles a galaxy, new study finds
Company
Proven Superior Accuracy About AccuWeather Digital Advertising Careers Press Contact Us
Products & Services
For Business For Partners For Advertising AccuWeather APIs AccuWeather Connect RealFeel® and RealFeel Shade™ Personal Weather Stations
Apps & Downloads
iPhone App Android App See all Apps & Downloads
Subscription Services
AccuWeather Premium AccuWeather Professional
More
AccuWeather Ready Business Health Hurricane Leisure and Recreation Severe Weather Space and Astronomy Sports Travel Weather News Winter Center
Company
Proven Superior Accuracy About AccuWeather Digital Advertising Careers Press Contact Us
Products & Services
For Business For Partners For Advertising AccuWeather APIs AccuWeather Connect RealFeel® and RealFeel Shade™ Personal Weather Stations
Apps & Downloads
iPhone App Android App See all Apps & Downloads
Subscription Services
AccuWeather Premium AccuWeather Professional
More
AccuWeather Ready Business Health Hurricane Leisure and Recreation Severe Weather Space and Astronomy Sports Travel Weather News Winter Center
© 2025 AccuWeather, Inc. "AccuWeather" and sun design are registered trademarks of AccuWeather, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Cookie Policy | About Your Privacy Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information

...

...

...