Talk:Timeline of Solar System astronomy

Latest comment: 9 years ago by JorisvS in topic The End of the Journey

Copyright Permission to modify and distribute this and other timelines originally developed by Niel Brandt have been granted to wikipedia. See Talk:Timeline of transportation technology

I do not think that Kuiper believed in a belt of comets out as far as 100 AU, generally just beyond Neptune, today it ends at about 42 AU where QB1 is, but more Important you have failed to list a more important name, Kenneth Edgeworth, a European who predicted that a band of comets would lie much farther out. These have been found and are the SDOs, Scattered Disc Orbs. I am Dr. Wm. Greig, retired Consilienst, and i know more about where these things should be than anyone. I hope this gets to ms. Ann Druyan. At least you did not mention that piece of junk formerly called pluto. I am at perfect_renga_master@hotmail.com, I need to get a shorter email address. More, later, if you reply.

EKO

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You have forgotten to include a more important name than Kuiper, namely Kenneth Edgeworth a european who did in 1940s predict a much larger comet resercoir than Kuiper. The Kuiper belt ends at about 45 AU whereas Edgeworth's goes out much further to say 1500 AU, I am Dr. Wm. Greig, at perfect_renga_master@hotmail.com There is a lot of nonsense in the astronomical world today. I am a consilienist, I have a background in astrophysics but i have a low opinion of astronomers who are such sticks in the mud about gravitation and their silly Oort cloud. Send this to Ann Druyan.

No one predicted the Kuiper Belt. Not Kuiper, not Edgeworth, not Whipple, not Fernandez, not anybody. There were many competing theories as to what lay beyond the orbits of Neptune and Pluto, and some came close to predicting the reality, but no one accurately predicted what was actually there. As to whether or not the Oort Cloud is "silly"; well no one knows if it exists or not but I haven't heard any other theories for the presence of long term comets. Have you?Serendipodous 18:15, 28 March 2006 (UTC)Reply

Gravity?

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There are some pretty astounding claims made about Indian astronomers in this timeline; I'd like to see a cited reference for anyone before Newton discovering the law of universal gravitation, particularly when his individual Wikipedia article claims that the said discoverer believed the Earth did not move. There is a big difference between noticing that heavy things fall (Aristotle did that too) and formulating a law of gravitation. Serendipodous 17:49, 28 March 2006 (UTC)Reply

The End of the Journey

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Aside from New Horizons' KBO flyby in '19, there's nowhere else to go. The Dawn flyby of Pallas has long been cancelled, and while returns to all the major planets between Mercury and Jupiter are in the works or actually on their way, there are no plans to go anywhere else. We are unable to go to any Kuiper belt objects or dwarf planets like Eris, or any of the major asteroids. Preliminary exploration of the Solar System is for all intents and purposes OVER as of '19. The possible discovery of life on Europa would be amazing and all, but that isn't a primary encounter, but a follow-up. Ericl (talk) 17:07, 23 June 2015 (UTC)Reply

No current planned missions, maybe. But exploration is hardly 'over' then. It's a weird thing to say/include. --JorisvS (talk) 17:10, 23 June 2015 (UTC)Reply