Kevin Napier

“So those things would be much fainter because they’re much farther away. So the deeper that we can push into the night sky, the more interesting things we may be able to turn up.”

Kevin Napier · said 2026-10-27 · reported 2026-10-27

Napier said deeper observations into the night sky could reveal more interesting distant objects.

“And now we can look and actually find them. So who knows what else will turn up?”

Kevin Napier · said 2026-10-27 · reported 2026-10-27

Napier expressed optimism that new observations could reveal additional hidden objects in the solar system.

“But many of them also make their way [far] out into the distant solar system… three times the distance of Neptune, or even further,”

Kevin Napier · said 2026-10-27 · reported 2026-10-27

Napier noted that many dwarf planets travel far out into the distant solar system, up to three times the distance of Neptune or beyond.

“There have been objects that have been hidden in the haystack or the ‘Where’s Waldo’ game of the galactic center now for the few decades that we’ve actually known about the Kuiper Belt,”

Kevin Napier · said 2026-10-27 · reported 2026-10-27

Napier said objects have been hidden in the bright galactic center region since the Kuiper Belt was discovered.

“Essentially what we do is just play connect the dots with the things that we think could be moving,”

Kevin Napier · said 2026-10-27 · reported 2026-10-27

Napier described the process of identifying moving objects by connecting observational data points over time.

“And once you have finally connected enough dots, you can get an estimate for what the orbit of your object is going around the Sun.”

Kevin Napier · said 2026-10-27 · reported 2026-10-27

Napier explained that once enough observational points are connected, the orbit of a discovered object can be estimated.