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Distances

Oort cloud: size, dimension and comparison

The adopted reference is about 2.0083 light-years.

hypothetical extent; highly uncertain

A light-year is a distance: how far light travels in one year. It is used for distances between stars.

A hypothetical reservoir of small bodies very far from the Sun.

Explore at this scale
Oort cloud, interpreted illustration
Interpreted illustration · dimension stated in the fact sheet.

What does this number measure?

A hypothetical reservoir of small bodies very far from the Sun. The Oort Cloud helps explain the origin of some long-period comets. Its shape, boundaries and extent remain highly uncertain; the illustration represents a model.

Compare the stated dimensions

The comparison uses the number in each fact sheet: altitude, height, diameter, length or distance, depending on the reference. Two values in metres do not necessarily describe the same property.

Compare with One light-year in the explorer →

Source and limitations

Catalogue order of magnitude; a source is provided, but this measurement has not been individually audited.

Oort Cloud: a conceptual diffuse envelope for a hypothetical population, without a grid or solid surface. The reference diameter follows the schematic circular extent; its value and boundaries are highly uncertain. The dots do not count actual bodies, and their density has not been observed; the Sun is a marker drawn out of scale.