How do astronomers currently deduce the chemical composition of the material making up the Oort Cloud?
Answer
By examining the volatile materials that vaporize from incoming comets.
By studying the chemical makeup of the long-period comets that plunge into the inner solar system, astronomers analyze the vaporized volatiles, which represent the raw material preserved from the solar system's formation.
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Related Questions
What is the primary geometric shape defining the structure of the Oort Cloud?What characteristic of Oort Cloud objects makes them extremely difficult to observe via reflected light?What observational pattern of long-period comets supports the necessity of a spherical Oort Cloud model?If the Kuiper Belt extends to approximately 50 AU, how far outward does the outer edge of the Oort Cloud potentially extend?What fundamental physical law causes the light from Oort Cloud objects to diminish to undetectable levels?How do astronomers currently deduce the chemical composition of the material making up the Oort Cloud?Why does looking for Oort Cloud objects in the ecliptic plane inherently bias observation against detecting the main population?What are the constituent building blocks of the Oort Cloud thought to be?What scale of telescope mirror diameter is suggested might be necessary to definitively confirm the existence of large (10 km) objects in the outer Oort Cloud?What defines a long-period comet in terms of its orbital duration?