Kuiper belt science definition

A disk-shaped region in the outer solar system lying beyond the orbit of Neptune and extending to a distance of about 50 astronomical units, containing thousands of small, icy celestial bodies. It is believed to be a reservoir for short-period comets (comets that make one complete orbit of the Sun in less than 200 years). The Kuiper belt is named after American astronomer Gerard Kuiper (1905-1973), who first predicted its existence.
♦ The bodies populating this region are known as Kuiper belt objects, and unlike the bodies in the Oort cloud they are believed to have originated in situ. There are an estimated 70,000 such objects having diameters of more than 100 km (62 mi). The dwarf planet Pluto and its moons are also found in this region. Compare Oort cloud.