What is an asteroid?
Asteroid, sometimes called planetoid, is a small heavenly body that orbits the sun, along with other objects in the solar system such as planets. Unlike planets, however, asteroids are usually very small, with only a handful of asteroids reaching huge sizes. The largest known asteroid is Ceres, which has a diameter of 580 miles (930 kilometers). After the discovery of Ceres in 1801, many other asteroids were discovered because astronomers knew what to look for. Thousands of new asteroids appear every year. Asteroids are irregularly shaped collections of various materials, including metal and carbon minerals. When the fragment of the asteroid collides with the Earth's atmosphere, it is called a meteoroid. The lightning of the light characterized by the meteor is caused by evaporation when a piece of foreign material hits the atmosphere. Other foreign bodies that Earth's enatmosphere is also called meteoroids. Most of the asteroids in the solar system are concentrated in the "asteroid belt" located between Mars and Jupiter. It is assumed thatThe huge gravitational move of Jupiter could affect the formation of asteroids that could otherwise join together and create a large planet. Within the asteroid belt, most asteroids in groups that are named according to the largest or most important asteroid in the group.
other asteroids can be found scattered throughout the solar system. The exact orbital patterns of each asteroid discovered have not been clipped down, but like many other celestial bodies have asteroids and specific orbit. Comets are an exception to this rule, with highly irregular orbital pathways that can create difficulty their movements difficult. Some asteroids are also very close to Earth, and it is believed that precipitation with the main asteroids can be behind several important events in the Earth's geological history. The probability of another collision is very low, to relieve many organisms that they call Earth home.
astronomers catalog asteroids, along with other heavenly bodies, in an effort to learn more about the solar system and the universe. Most asteroids are identified with a universal number and unique asteroids are also given names. Asteroid data are regularly published, so astronomers can determine whether an asteroid is a new discovery.