Jakarta –
The vast Solar System is composed of various celestial bodies, one of which is the belt asteroid. A collection of small rocky objects orbiting the sun, one of which is located between the orbits of the planets Mars and Jupiter.
Asteroids are the building blocks of the asteroid belt. Astronomers say that asteroids formed from the remnants of the elements that formed planets and moons after celestial bodies formed more than 4.6 billion years ago.
Come on, see further explanations regarding the asteroid belt quoting from NASA, the book “Earth Threatened by an Asteroid Attack in Front of Our Eyes” by Dedi, the book “What is an Asteroid Belt?” by Baby Professor, and the book “Asteroids, Meteors, and Comets” by Josepha Sherman.
What Is the Asteroid Belt?
The asteroid belt is an inhospitable place in space consisting of large amounts of moving debris. The temperature in the asteroid belt is known to be very cold, with an average temperature of -73 degrees Celsius.
The first asteroid belt discovered by scientists is the main asteroid belt located between Jupiter and Mars.
Astronomers identify and name more than 828,600 asteroids in this belt but it is suspected that this belt contains many more asteroids than this number.
The sizes of asteroids in this belt vary from the largest Vesta with a diameter of 530 km to the smallest with a diameter of less than 10 meters. However, it is known that the combined total mass of all the asteroids in the belt is less than the mass of Earth’s moon.
Researchers predict that the main asteroid belt formed after Jupiter formed. The gravity of the largest planet in the solar system causes these small celestial bodies to collide with each other and break up to form asteroids.
The Largest Object in the Asteroid Belt
Sometimes asteroids are also referred to as minor planets that also orbit the sun. We know that the asteroid belt itself is composed of various asteroids of various sizes and irregular shapes.
One of the largest objects in the asteroid belt is Ceres. The diameter of Ceres itself is almost 1,000 km, which makes it the largest asteroid in the solar system. Ceres itself is large enough to have self-gravity clumping together and forming a circle.
Ceres was discovered in the 19th century and classified as a planet. However, in the 1850s the classification of Ceres, which was originally a planet, was changed to an asteroid after further observations.
In 2006, the International Astronomical Union (IAU), changed the definition of a planet. This causes Ceres to become a dwarf planet with Pluto. Ceres is also the only dwarf planet in the asteroid belt.
Asteroid Composition
Each asteroid has a different composition. The composition of asteroids differs depending on how far they formed from the sun.
The composition of asteroids is divided into three classes, namely:
1. C-type (Chondrite)
These are the most common asteroids we encounter. This asteroid is composed of clay and silicate rocks and has a dark color. This object is also one of the most ancient objects in the solar system.
2. S-type (Stony/Berbatu)
Asteroids of this type are composed of silicates and nickel iron.
3. M-type which is metal
This asteroid experienced high temperatures after it formed which caused some of it to melt. In this melt there is iron that sinks to the center and pushes the basaltic (volcanic) lava to the surface.
Classification of Asteroids
Asteroids are classified into several types, namely:
1. Main Belt Asteroids (Main Belt Asteroids)
In the history of the solar system, Jupiter’s gravity is known to shape this asteroid belt. This is due to Jupiter’s gravity causing an end to the formation of planetary bodies around it and causing small objects to collide with each other.
When these small objects fall apart they will break apart and become asteroids.
2. Trojan
Asteroids of this type are known to have the same orbit as larger planets. However, the trojans do not crash into the planet because they have a special gathering place in the orbit, which is called the L4 and L5 points.
Jupiter’s trojan asteroid population is estimated to have the same number of asteroids in the asteroid belt. In addition to the Jupiter trojan there is also the Mars trojan, Neptune, and in 2011 NASA announced the discovery of the Earth trojan.
3. Near-Earth Asteroids (Near-Earth Asteroids)
This asteroid is an asteroid with an orbit that approaches or crosses Earth’s orbit. Even though this asteroid is not very close to Earth which causes a threat but asteroid this remains a threat when it hits Earth.
Watch Video “ The ‘Christmas Asteroid’ Closer to Earth, What Is It?“
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