Icy Giants of the Kuiper Belt: JWST Looks at Salacia and Máni
Using JWST, Wong and colleagues observed the Kuiper Belt Objects Salacia–Actaea and Máni, finding strong water and carbon dioxide ice signatures but no methane or hydrocarbons. Compared to other KBOs, larger bodies show more water ice and weaker CO₂ features, suggesting internal heating and cryovolcanism may refresh their surfaces. These results place Salacia and Máni in the “Prominent Water” class, linking their origins to the inner Kuiper Belt.
A Warp in the Kuiper Belt: Could a Hidden Planet Be Bending Orbits?
Amir Siraj and colleagues present a new, bias-free way to measure the Kuiper Belt’s mean plane. They find the belt aligns with the solar system’s invariable plane at 50–80 AU, but shows a warp at 80–200 AU and 80–400 AU. Simulations suggest this could be caused by an unseen planet between Mercury- and Earth-mass, orbiting 100–200 AU from the Sun, a body distinct from the hypothesized Planet Nine.
New Horizons and the Hunt for a Flyby Target
The proposed Roman Space Telescope survey aims to discover and study hundreds of Kuiper Belt Objects (KBOs), providing insights into their formation, cratering history, and binary nature. It may also identify a flyby target for NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft before it leaves the Kuiper Belt. This project will explore previously uncharted regions, testing theories of planetary evolution while also contributing to exoplanet and galactic studies.