Kuiper Belt Companions and Moon Formation
TNRTB Archive – Retained for reference information
Greater understanding of the nature and abundance of outer solar system objects provides evidence for RTB’s creation model. The Kuiper Belt is a region beyond Neptune predicted to contain over 70,000 small objects. Study of multiple companions of Kuiper Belt objects reveals additional evidence of fine-tuning in the formation of the moon and provides a new tool to test and understand the formation process in more detail. While some people dispute Pluto’s standing as a planet, none can deny that multiple companions orbit it. Detailed analysis of these companions reveals that their origin resulted from a giant impact event (like the one responsible for the formation of Earth’s moon) and not from gravitational capture. Because of the abundance and size of Kuiper Belt objects, impact events should be more common; meaning that discovery of additional multiple systems will give astronomers more data to evaluate the probability of the event that formed Earth’s moon. RTB’s cosmic creation model predicts increased fine-tuning will be revealed by a more detailed understanding of Earth’s moon formation.
- S. A. Stern et al., “A Giant Impact Origin for Pluto’s Small Moons and Satellite Multiplicity in the Kuiper Belt,” Nature 439 (2006): 946-48.
- https://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v439/n7079/abs/nature04548.html
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- The Creator and the Cosmos, 3rd ed., by Hugh Ross