Scattered disc
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The scattered disc (or scattered disk) is a distant part of the solar system. The area has small icy minor planets known as scattered disc objects (SDOs). The part of the scattered disc closest to the sun is in an area of space called the Kuiper belt. The first SDO was found in 1995 by Spacewatch.
The scattered disk is still not understood well. Astronomers thing it was created when things in the Kuiper belt were "scattered" by the gravity of the outer planets, mainly Neptune. Unlike most things in the Solar System which move in a round and flat path, the scattered disc is much more erratic. SDOs can often move almost as much in a vertical direction as they do in a horizontal direction.
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| The Solar System |
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| Star: The Sun |
| Planets: Mercury • Venus • Earth • Mars • Jupiter • Saturn • Uranus • Neptune |
| Dwarf planets: Ceres • Pluto • Eris |
| Small solar system body: Asteroid belt – Comets – Meteors – Kuiper belt – Scattered disc – Oort cloud |
| Other: Moon |
