The Most-Distant Solar System Object Discovered (cnn.com)

Rick Zeman writes: Astronomers in Hawaii have discovered the furthest object in our solar system, a dwarf planet aptly named "Farout." This planet is 100 times farther than Earth is from the sun (120 AU from the sun) and is thought to be composed of ice. The object is so far away that researchers estimate it probably takes more than 1,000 years to make one trip around the sun. For reference, Pluto is 34 AU away and takes about 248 years to orbit the sun. Eris, the next most distance object know, is 96 AU from the sun.

Comments

Voyager 2

[hcs_$reboot]

Voyager 2 is also at 120 AU from earth, and is said to have left our solar system. So "farout" is outside?

Re: Voyager 2

[Anonymous Coward]

It has entered intersellar space (beyond the heliopause) but is still within the solar system. There are likely objects part or the solar system that are as far as 1,000 au away from the sun, almost 1/4 of the way to the nearest star.

Re:Voyager 2

[Anonymous Coward]

The going theory from what little I've read about this is there's possibly a large gravity source out there in the hundreds of AU's that is stabilizing the as-yet unknown orbit of some of these far-out bodies. We'll know in a few years, exciting times.

Re:Voyager 2

[Anonymous Coward]

This "outside" nonsense is a bit of media hyperbole.
The oort cloud is part of our solar systems, or more specific, part of our stars "significant influence".
The oort cloud is so big it touches the nearest stars oort cloud. It's essentially doing the dirty deed with it, it is so close.

The supposed end these people were talking about was the termination of the solar winds, which doesn't define THE end (it shouldn't!), just the end of one particular facet of the solar system.
The better actual end of the solar system is when the suns gravity is no longer the dominating force, which puts it anywhere up to half-way between here and Alpha Centauri. The exact value isn't known for obvious reasons (not been there, barely discovered bodies, etc.)
At this distance, objects cease Sol orbit and instead just intermingle with other objects in the outer oort cloud regions, probably ending up smashed at some point, if not hurled towards the inner solar system and becoming an orbiting body over the next few billion years depending on speed.
The big issue on the exact termination point inside of the oort cloud is determining where gravity is still, overall, the defining force. Given there is so much crap out there that was pushed out in the early solar system, it could be that stuff is just slowly moving away from us at speeds we can't reliably measure. Or, it could be that gravity is pulling in some of these smaller objects all the time but the solar winds can overpower that when they get in far enough. Where that ends is the real question.
The inner oort cloud is still (and should be) very much considered part of our solar system, just like the very far reaches of our atmosphere are considered part of it, beyond a certain density of air where it is then considered space and particles just fly off from the solar winds because gravity can no longer hold on to it.
You'll certainly not be breathing at the far edges (inner solar system edge), but it is still our atmosphere.

! AU = Distance Of The Earth To The Sun

[Crashmarik]

Not to get picky here but if it's 120 AU away from the Sun that 120 times the distance of the Earth from the Sun not 100