Asteroid

• Asteroids


  Small, rocky objects that orbit the sun
• Asteroids are much smaller than planets
• Asteroids are also known as planetoids and minor planets
• Where asteroids come from

  • Remnants of material leftover from the formation of the solar system and its planets approximately 4.6 billion years ago
  • Majority originate from the main asteroid belt located between Mars and Jupiter
• Asteroid composition


  • Consist of clay and silicate rocks, dark in appearance
  • Closer to the sun have less silicate, composed of carbon with few amounts of oxygen and hydrogen
  • Farther away usually contain silicate
  • Metallic asteroids generally composed of 80% iron and 20% mixture of nickel, iridium, gold and magnesium
• Four facts about asteroids

  • They can create a big impact and can collide with planets
  • They form the asteroid belt located between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter
  • They can become planets
  • They can have moons
• Classification of asteroids by composition

  • C-type (chondrite) - most common, consist of clay and silicate rocks, dark in appearance
  • S-type ("stony") - made up of silicate materials and nickel-iron
  • M-type - metallic (nickel-iron)
• Classification of asteroids by location

  • Atens - near the orbit of Mars (e.g. Ceres, Pallas, Juno, Vesta)
  • Apollos - near Jupiter (e.g. Eros, Geographos, Icarus)
  • Trojans - within the main asteroid belt (e.g. Hector, Diomedes, Agamemnon, Petrocius)
• Largest asteroid


  Ceres - about one-quarter the size of the moon, orbits the sun between Mars and Jupiter, reclassified as a dwarf planet
• The four largest asteroids

  • Vesta - 525 km
  • Pallas - 512 km
  • Hygiea - 434 km
  • Ceres - 939 km
• S-type asteroids are made of silicate rock and nickel-iron.
• M-type asteroids are metallic in nature, primarily composed of nickel and iron.
• Asteroids are small rocky bodies that orbit the sun.
• C-type asteroids are the most common and are carbonaceous in composition.
• The asteroid belt is located between Mars and Jupiter, where most asteroids can be found.
• Most asteroids are made up of silicate minerals like olivine and pyroxene.
• Asteroids are named after their discoverers.
• There is no clear boundary between an asteroid and a meteorite.
• Most asteroids are found in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.
• Asteroids can be classified based on their composition into three types: C-types (most common), S-types, and M-types.
• Some asteroids have been observed to be irregularly shaped due to collisions with other objects.
• Most asteroids have irregular shapes due to collisions with other objects.
• Asteroids can also be categorized according to their location, with Atens being close to the orbit of Mars, Apollos located near Jupiter, and Trojans found within the main asteroid belt.
• There is evidence suggesting that some asteroids may have moons.
• The largest known asteroid is Ceres, which has a diameter of approximately 939 kilometers and was once considered a planet but later reclassified as a dwarf planet.
• Some asteroids have been found to be binary systems, consisting of two separate rocks orbiting around their center of mass.
• Some asteroids have been observed to rotate around their own axis once every few hours or days.
• Asteroids are named based on their discovery location or discoverer's name.
• Some asteroids have been observed to emit light due to their reflective properties.
• Some asteroids have moons or satellites.
• Meteors are rocks or dust particles from space that enter Earth's atmosphere at high speeds and burn up due to friction with air molecules.
• Meteors are rocks or dust particles from space that enter Earth's atmosphere at high speeds and burn up due to friction with air molecules.
• Meteors are rocks or dust particles from space that enter Earth's atmosphere at high speeds and burn up due to friction with air molecules.
• There are over 800,000 known asteroids in our solar system.
• There are over 700,000 known asteroids in our solar system.
• There are over 700,000 known asteroids in our solar system, but only about 8% of them have been named.
• Meteors that enter Earth's atmosphere at high speeds burn up due to friction with air molecules.
• C-type asteroids have a carbonaceous composition similar to that of chondritic meteorites.
• Meteorites are pieces of rock or metal that fall to Earth's surface without burning up completely.
• Asteroids range from less than one kilometer to more than 1,000 kilometers in diameter.