Jakarta, Borneo24.com – The asteroid belt is part of our solar system. The asteroid belt is not a planet but a collection of smaller celestial bodies that orbit around the Sun.
The asteroid belt is a collection of rock and metal that moves around the Sun. Some astronomers call it a minor planet.
There is even a dwarf planet, or dwarf planet, namely Ceres. The asteroid belt lies between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. Millions of these asteroids lie at great distances, which is 2.5 times the distance from the Sun to Earth.
While the width and thickness of the belt reaches 150 million kilometers. The size of each asteroid varies from rock size to 400 kilometers in diameter. While Ceres, a dwarf planet in the asteroid belt, has a diameter of 950 kilometers.
Ceres is the size of a quarter of the size of Earth’s moon. Each asteroid has a very long distance. Each asteroid has a distance of up to millions of kilometers.
This shows how vast our solar system is and spacecraft can fly safely without having to hit an asteroid, as depicted in the movies.
Origin of the Asteroid Belt
First discovered in the 1800’s, astronomers thought this was a star, so these celestial bodies were called asteroids. The word asteroid has a meaning like a star.
Astronomers had thought that the asteroid belt came from particles from Jupiter that were released into space. It turns out that this theory is wrong.
Asteroids are remnants of the formation of our solar system about 4.6 million years ago. These rocks gather because of the gravity of the planet and the Sun.
Asteroid Type
There are several types of asteroids that are distinguished by their rock composition and reflectivity.
Type C: makes up more than 75 percent of asteroids. The meaning of the letter C is because this asteroid is composed of carbon and has a very dark colored surface.
Type S: makes up about 17 percent of asteroids. The letter S has a meaning because this asteroid is composed of silica and has a lighter color. The composition of silica varies with metal components such as nickel, iron, and magnesium.
Type M: the brightest asteroid because it is composed of pure iron and nickel.
Other types: some of the rarest types of asteroids are types A, P, D, E, Q, and R. (***)
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