How does the Kuiper Belt relate to the broader category of TNOs?
Answer
All Kuiper Belt Objects are Trans-Neptunian Objects
The term Trans-Neptunian Object serves as a parent classification for any object beyond Neptune, while the Kuiper Belt is a specific population residing between 30 and 50 astronomical units from the Sun. Because the Kuiper Belt occupies a specific range within the region defined for all Trans-Neptunian Objects, every object within that belt is by definition a Trans-Neptunian Object, but not every Trans-Neptunian Object is found within the Kuiper Belt.
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