What is asteroid? Interesting facts about asteroids

An asteroid is a small rocky object that orbits the Sun. Most asteroids are found in the Asteroid belt, which is a region between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, or Kuiper belt. This belt contains millions of asteroids of various sizes.

Asteroids can range from a few meters to hundreds of kilometers in diameter. The largest asteroid, Ceres, is about 940 kilometers (580 miles) wide and is also classified as a dwarf planet.

Many asteroids have irregular shapes because they do not have enough gravity to pull themselves into a spherical shape.

Asteroids are primarily made of rock and metal. Some contain clay and silicate, while others have more metal content, such as iron and nickel.

Asteroids are remnants from the early solar system, formed about 4.6 billion years ago. They are pieces that never coalesced into planets due to the gravitational influence of Jupiter.

Asteroids have collided with Earth in the past, causing significant changes. One famous example is the asteroid impact that is believed to have contributed to the extinction of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago.

Scientists monitor near-Earth asteroids to track any that could pose a potential threat to our planet.

Interesting facts about asteroids:

1. According to one theory, dinosaurs might have gone extinct due to a massive asteroid collision with Earth’s surface.
2. Some scientists believe the Tunguska meteorite was a fairly large asteroid.
3. The asteroid Chariklo has rings similar to those of Saturn (see interesting facts about Saturn).
4. In 2001, the first successful landing of a spacecraft on an asteroid was accomplished.
5. Most asteroids do not have names.
6. Until 2006, asteroids were classified as minor planets.
7. Interestingly, to date, hundreds of thousands of asteroids have been discovered in space.
8. Since 2016, the AZT-33 VM telescope has been operating in Russia to identify dangerous celestial objects. It can detect a dangerous asteroid 50 meters in size from a distance of up to 150 million km.
9. Asteroids become darker and redder with age as they gradually weather in space.
10. Did you know that June 30th is Asteroid Day?
11. Various projects are currently being developed to mine valuable resources found on asteroids.
12. There are approximately 700 asteroids near Earth’s orbit.
13. The word “asteroid” translates from ancient Greek as “star-like.”
14. In the summer of 2018, the National Science and Technology Council of the United States warned that America was not prepared for an asteroid collision, developing and publishing the “National Near-Earth Object Preparedness Strategy and Action Plan.”
15. The total mass of all asteroids in the main belt is about 4% of the mass of the Moon
16. The largest asteroid in the Solar System until 2006 was Ceres, which is now recognized as a dwarf planet.
17. The study of asteroids began after the discovery of the planet Uranus by William Herschel in 1781.