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The article discusses astronomical speculation about the existence of an unknown planet beyond Pluto in the solar system. Emphasis is given to topics such as planetary formation, scattering of the planet due to gravitational interaction with Jupiter or Saturn, and scientific research on calculating the orbit of the super Earth-like planet.

The article discusses space probes that are getting close-up looks at comets, asteroids, and dwarf planets from the Kuiper belt, revealing how the origin of the solar system. Topics include the study of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko by the European Space Agency's (ESA's) Rosetta space probe, the study of the dwarf planet Pluto by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA's) New Horizons probe, and a historical overview of the Kuiper belt and the Oort cloud.

The article discusses the planned route of the "New Horizons" spacecraft past Pluto as of April 2013, with information on the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) search for celestial bodies and planets for it to observe. Topics include the proximity of three known objects to the spacecraft in 2018, NASA's hope to discover a closer planet for it to explore in detail, and the difficulty of identifying possible targets near the constellation Sagittarius.

The article discusses a model for comet production that revises the theory of their origins. Chunks of ice and dust that reside in the Oort cloud, beyond the orbit of the dwarf planet Pluto, become dislodged and enter the solar system as streaking comets. Topics include an overview of how the planets Jupiter and Saturn influence comet dynamics, a computer simulation by researchers Nathan Kaib and Thomas Quinn hypothesizing comet production, and the role of comets in major extinctions on Earth.

Voyager 2, launched in August 1977, will fly by Uranus in January, 1986, passing within 29,000 km of that planet's innermost moon, Miranda. It will subsequently encounter Neptune in August 1989, flying within 10,000 km of its inner satellite, Triton; images made of this moon by a high resolution camera are expected to reveal surface features as small as a few hundred meters in diameter. The composition of the Uranian moons will br inferred from their near-IR reflectance spectra and mean densities. While the spacecraft will not fly by Pluto, it is expected that the lessons learned from the Voyager encounters with Neptune and Uranus will expand current understanding of Pluto and its moon, Charon.