What is the primary defining characteristic of a Trans-Neptunian Object?
Answer
It orbits the Sun at a distance greater than the orbit of Neptune.
These objects exist in the dark fringes of the solar system, well beyond the orbital path of Neptune. They are remnants from the solar system's formation and consist mainly of rock and ice, including water, methane, and ammonia. Because they reside so far from the Sun, they remain in a deep freeze, preserving their original composition from billions of years ago.
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