These bodies, known as Kuiper Belt objects or Trans-Neptunian objects, exhibit considerable diversity in terms of color, shape, size, groupings (clusters, pairs, etc.) and geological and atmospheric activity. While several spacecraft, including NASA's New Horizons mission, flew over these bodies, they were only able to observe them briefly. With Webb's sensitive infrared cameras, scientists will be able to study objects for a longer period.
“By using Webb, we will be able to obtain information on surface chemistry that they may be able to give us some clues as to why there are these different populations in the Kuiper belt, ”said Heidi Hammel, a Webb interdisciplinary scientist for solar system observations.
Webb will also study objects known as centaurs, former Kuiper belt objects whose orbits have been altered so that they are closer to the sun, settling somewhere between Jupiter and Neptune. One such object is Neptune's moon Triton. "Even though it is Neptune's moon, we have evidence to suggest that it is a Kuiper belt object that got too close to Neptune at some point in its past, and was captured in orbit around Neptune," he said. Hammel.