Merdeka.com – Asteroids are a group of celestial objects that when viewed up close resemble rocks. There are millions of asteroids that swarm to form a giant belt.
Asteroids are also known as planetoids or minor planets. The number of asteroids is very large and they have their own orbits. Keep in mind, asteroids are formed from substances consisting of silicates, clay, and others.
There are many asteroids that have been identified by scientists on Earth, and have even been given names, such as Ceres, Pallas Vesta, Hygiea and Interamnia.
To know some things about asteroids, merdeka.com has compiled information fromilmugeografi.com. Here’s the full review.
Asteroid Characteristics
There are several features of asteroids, including:
1. Irregular Shape
Asteroids are similar in shape to the small colorful rocks that decorate aquariums (sometimes jagged, sometimes round but angled). The surface is not flat, but there are holes or craters.
2. Orbiting the Sun
Not only planets, but asteroids also orbit the sun. Asteroids are known to have their own trajectory to orbit the sun which is oval in shape.
As it revolves around the sun, asteroids spin and sometimes even fall erratically. This is what sometimes makes it dangerous because if it hits the earth, the surface of the earth will be damaged and can damage the life of living things on earth.
3. Composed of Dust and Ice
Dust and ice are the elements that make up asteroids. The dust freezes because of the presence of the ice, and coupled with the considerable distance from the sun.
4. The highest number is in the Asteroid Belt
There are a huge number of asteroids in space. Asteroids are scattered all over the sky, but most are in the asteroid belt between the orbits of the planets Mars and Jupiter. In the asteroid belt, the number of asteroids is around 750,000 asteroids.
5. Has a smaller size than a dwarf planet. Asteroids range in size from 1 mile to 60 miles in diameter.
6. Inactive celestial objects. Although moving freely in space, but asteroids are one of the inactive celestial objects.
7. Has a rocky surface. Not only has a rocky surface, the surface of asteroids also has many craters.
8. Has a very cold temperature. The temperature even reached -73 degrees Celsius.
9. There are many and scattered throughout the solar system.
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Asteroid Classification
The following is the classification of asteroids:
1. Type C (grayish carbon), is an asteroid arranged on clay with silicate rocks (most of these asteroids are outside the main belt).
2. Type S (silicaceous asteroid), is an asteroid made of iron and nickel (mostly dominating the inner belt).
3. Type M (metallic asteroid), is an asteroid composed of iron and nickel that is reddish in color (mostly in the middle of the main belt).
4. Type V, is an asteroid arranged on basaltic rocks and volcanic crust.
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How to See Asteroids from Earth
When night falls, not a few people find it very difficult to distinguish between stars and non-stars (other celestial bodies). If only using the naked eye, it would be difficult to see the original shape of these celestial bodies.
It takes a special tool in the form of a telescope to enjoy the view of the sky. Telescopes or also called binoculars are usually used by many people to see the stars.
Keep in mind, basically, one can not always see asteroids. Asteroids that will be seen are those that pass close to Earth. On that occasion, the asteroid can be observed through a space telescope.
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