Asteroids By: Ethan and Kacey
What are they? Chunks of rock that measure in size from few feet to several miles in diameter Rocky remains from the formation of the solar system Most asteroids lies in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter Small asteroids called meteoroids
More Most asteroids are too small to cause any damage Instead they burn up in the atmosphere and appear as shooting stars Scientists have found more than 90,000 asteroids
Ceres The largest asteroid in asteroid belt About 950 kilometers wide In 2006, Ceres was added to the list of dwarf planets
Eros Odd shaped Near earth asteroid Found outside asteroid belt Twice the size of Manhattan Island
Gaspra Made of mixture of rocky and metallic minerals Surface covered with impact craters About 200 million years old
Vesta Third largest in asteroid belt Most geological diverse terrain Ancient lava flows, meteorite impacts, radioactive “shrapnel” shaped its surface
Location Grouping Four main groups of asteroids Main Belt: ring of rocky objects circling between orbits of Mars and Jupiter Kuiper Belt: objects orbit far from the Sun in the outer solar system Trojans: objects located near Jupiter's Lagrange points (60 degrees ahead and behind Jupiter’s orbit) Near Earth Asteroids: Have orbits that bring them within 1.3 AU of the Sun
Composition Made of different minerals and substances Asteroids nearest to sun mostly made of carbon while the ones further away are made of silicate rock Composition depends on which planet they originated from Many asteroids result of larger asteroids hitting planets or each other during beginning of the Solar System
Composition Classing C class asteroids: Found in Earth's outer belt and darker and more carbonaceous D class asteroids: Known as Trojan asteroids of Jupiter and dark and carbonaceous S class asteroids: Found in the Earth's inner belt, close to Mars and composed of stone and iron V class asteroids: Far-out group that follow path between orbits of Jupiter and Uranus, and made of eruptive materials
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Works Cited "Asteroids and Comets, Asteroids and Comets Information, Facts, News, Photos -- National Geographic." Science and Space Facts, Science and Space, Human Body, Health, Earth, Human Disease - National Geographic. Web. 08 Feb "Interesting Facts About Asteroids." Universe Today. Web. 08 Feb "Asteroid Facts - Explore the Cosmos." The Planetary Society. Web. 08 Feb "Asteroids L Asteroid Facts, Pictures and Information." The Nine Planets Solar System Tour. Web. 10 Feb