Kuiper

Kuiper may refer to:

• Gerard Kuiper (1905-1973): A Dutch-American astronomer, planetary scientist, selenographer, and professor. He is considered one of the "fathers" of modern planetary science. He is known for discovering the atmospheres of Titan and Miranda, as well as predicting the existence of the Kuiper Belt.

• Kuiper Belt: A circumstellar disc in the outer Solar System, extending beyond the orbit of Neptune (at 30 AU) to approximately 50 AU from the Sun. It is similar to the asteroid belt, but is far larger – 20 times as wide and 20 to 200 times as massive. It is the source of many short-period comets. Pluto and other dwarf planets are considered Kuiper Belt objects.

• Kuiper Belt Object (KBO): Any celestial body orbiting the Sun in the Kuiper Belt. These objects are primarily composed of ices such as water, ammonia, and methane.

• Kuiper Crater: A lunar crater located in the Oceanus Procellarum. It is named after Gerard Kuiper.

• Kuiper (Mercury Crater): A crater on Mercury, also named after Gerard Kuiper.

• Kuiper Airborne Observatory (KAO): A NASA operated airborne observatory. This was a modified Lockheed C-141A Starlifter transport aircraft which carried a 0.91 meter (36 inch) reflecting telescope. It operated from 1974 to 1995.