What tangible evidence confirms the inferred existence of the Oort Cloud?
Answer
The behavior of long-period comets
Astronomers infer the Oort Cloud's existence and contents based on the periodic appearance of long-period comets dropping into the inner solar system.
Related Questions
What are Oort Cloud objects primarily characterized as?Approximately how many individual objects are estimated to reside in the Oort Cloud?What tangible evidence confirms the inferred existence of the Oort Cloud?How does the spatial structure of the Oort Cloud differ from the Kuiper Belt Objects?Besides water ice, which volatile ices are core components of Oort Cloud objects?What name is given to the inner boundary region of the Oort Cloud structure?What is the hypothesized extent of the Oort Cloud's outer edge in AU?What mechanism can cause Oort Cloud objects to be perturbed inward toward the Sun?Why are comets originating from the Oort Cloud considered chemically pristine?In which decade did Jan Oort develop the hypothesis for this distant reservoir?