What are asteroids?
Asteroids are small, rocky objects that orbit the Sun. Although asteroids orbit the Sun like planets, they are much smaller than planets. Asteroids are small, rocky objects that orbit the sun.
Where do asteroids orbit the Sun?
Asteroids are small, rocky objects that orbit the Sun. Although asteroids orbit the Sun like planets, they are much smaller than planets. There are lots of asteroids in our solar system. Most of them live in the main asteroid belt—a region between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. Some asteroids go in front of and behind Jupiter.
What are three asteroids that have been imaged by NASA spacecraft?
Mathilde, Gaspra, and Ida are three asteroids that have been imaged by NASA spacecraft. In this image, you can see that asteroids come in a variety shapes and sizes. Image credit: NASA/JPL What can we learn from asteroids?
What is a Jupiter trojan asteroid?
There, the gravitational pull from the Sun and the planet are balanced by a trojan’s tendency to otherwise fly out of orbit. The Jupiter trojans form the most significant population of trojan asteroids. It is thought that they are as numerous as the asteroids in the asteroid belt.
What is the second largest asteroid in the asteroid belt?
The NEAR Shoemaker spacecraft landed on Eros, an asteroid near Earth, in 2001. Then, the Dawn spacecraft traveled to the asteroid belt in 2011 to orbit and study the second largest object there, Vesta. Vesta is so large it’s like a small planet.
What is the orbital path of an asteroid?
For example, some asteroids are found in the orbital path of planets. This means that the asteroid and the planet follow the same path around the sun. Earth and a few other planets have asteroids like this.
Where do asteroids hang out?
Asteroids hang out in other places, too. For example, some asteroids are found in the orbital path of planets. This means that the asteroid and the planet follow the same path around the sun. Earth and a few other planets have asteroids like this. Where did asteroids come from?