NASA supercomputer suggests the Oort Cloud may be a spiral, like a miniature galaxy

In a nutshell: Far beyond the orbit of Pluto lies a mysterious region filled with icy objects circling the Sun. This distant zone, known as the Oort Cloud, remains unseen, but its existence is inferred from the long-period comets that occasionally journey inward. Now, a new model suggests that the inner part of the Oort Cloud may have an unexpected structure resembling a spiral, much like a miniature galaxy. The Oort Cloud begins roughly 2,000 – 5,000 astronomical units (AU) from the Sun, with 1 AU being the average distance between Earth and the Sun. Its outer edge extends from 10,000 to an astonishing 100,000 AU away. This distant region consists of leftover planetesimals from the early Solar System. As the planets formed, their gravity scattered countless icy bodies to the outermost reaches, where they continue to orbit the Sun to this day. Until now, scientists knew the Oort Cloud existed but had little understanding of its shape. However, researchers from the Southwest Research ... Read full article.