The Oort Cloud - The Outermost Realm of the Solar System

The Oort Cloud is thought to be a spherical shell surrounding the Solar System. It is believed to be a vast reservoir of comets and other icy bodies, extending far beyond the Kuiper Belt. It is named after the Dutch astronomer Jan Oort, who proposed its existence in 1950.

Because the objects in the Oort Cloud are so far from the Sun, they are extremely cold, with temperatures close to absolute zero.
It is so distant that it has never been directly observed, but its existence is inferred from the orbits of long-period comets, which take thousands of years to orbit the Sun.

The outer edge of the Oort Cloud is often considered the point at which the gravitational influence of the Sun becomes significantly weaker compared to the gravitational pull of other nearby stars.

The Oort cloud is likely home to trillions of comets, and it may even contain some planets. It is crucial for comprehending the origins and evolution of comets in our Solar System.

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Additional visual material sourced from:

NASA
Google
ESA

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[cullenfarran]

I just read that the oort cloud extends from 2000 au out to 100, 000 au. Alfa Centari is about 269, 000 au. If alfa centari has an oort cloud the same length does that mean that the clouds might overlap. AND does that mean that there is a Lagrange like point in between SOL and alfa centari where objects might collect like Jupiter's Trojans?

[GoDiMoNsTeR]

I know astronomers discover exoplanets by detecting minute changes in a star’s brightness. How can they differentiate when this is due to an object in the Oort cloud obstructing light vs. an exoplanet traversing in front of its host star?

[ruthyluigi]

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