Asteroids Research Paper
Asteroids
Asteroids are small rock bodies orbiting the sun. It was once believed that the asteroids were the remains of a planet that was destroyed many years ago. This theory can not be proven true because, the location of the asteroid belt could not be home to a planet due to Jupiters gravitational pull. It is now believed that asteroid are planetesimals broken down by collision, also known as a minute planet. A planetesimal is a body that could or did come together with many others under gravitation to form a planet. This theory explains why the silicate rich asteroids are concentrated in the inner belts, and the carbonaceous type asteroids are in the outer belts. Astronomer Giuseppe Piazzi discovered asteroids in 1801 while making a star map. He not only discovered the first, but the largest asteroid. This asteroid is known as Ceres, it is found orbiting between Mars and Jupiter. Ceres is typically classified as a dwarf planet, …show more content…
They are usually pitted or cratered, and their surfaces are believed to be covered in dust. They can range from 583 miles across (Ceres) to only 20 feet across (1991 BA). Not only do they come in vast shapes and sizes, but they come in different colors and speed. Average asteroids travel at about 25 kilometers per second, asteroids closer to the sun move faster than asteroids between Mars and Jupiter. The closest asteroid found near earth was in 2004, asteroid JG6. Asteroid JG6 had an approximate speed of 30 kilometers per second. Along with the speed, the colors may vary too. The colors of an asteroid can range from light grey to black, with patches of white on the surface. NASA has plans to visit an asteroid in 2020. On this mission, astronauts will preform space walks to gather samples. The asteroid they plan to visit will have been nudged by a a solar powered robotic probe, the mission will be about a month
Asteroids are small rock bodies orbiting the sun. It was once believed that the asteroids were the remains of a planet that was destroyed many years ago. This theory can not be proven true because, the location of the asteroid belt could not be home to a planet due to Jupiters gravitational pull. It is now believed that asteroid are planetesimals broken down by collision, also known as a minute planet. A planetesimal is a body that could or did come together with many others under gravitation to form a planet. This theory explains why the silicate rich asteroids are concentrated in the inner belts, and the carbonaceous type asteroids are in the outer belts. Astronomer Giuseppe Piazzi discovered asteroids in 1801 while making a star map. He not only discovered the first, but the largest asteroid. This asteroid is known as Ceres, it is found orbiting between Mars and Jupiter. Ceres is typically classified as a dwarf planet, …show more content…
They are usually pitted or cratered, and their surfaces are believed to be covered in dust. They can range from 583 miles across (Ceres) to only 20 feet across (1991 BA). Not only do they come in vast shapes and sizes, but they come in different colors and speed. Average asteroids travel at about 25 kilometers per second, asteroids closer to the sun move faster than asteroids between Mars and Jupiter. The closest asteroid found near earth was in 2004, asteroid JG6. Asteroid JG6 had an approximate speed of 30 kilometers per second. Along with the speed, the colors may vary too. The colors of an asteroid can range from light grey to black, with patches of white on the surface. NASA has plans to visit an asteroid in 2020. On this mission, astronauts will preform space walks to gather samples. The asteroid they plan to visit will have been nudged by a a solar powered robotic probe, the mission will be about a month