Transcript Asteroids - Cloudfront.net

Asteroids, or Minor Planets
Types of Asteroids
Like meteoroids, Minor Planets or Asteroids
are divided into three kinds by
composition:
1. Iron-nickel
2. Silicate (Stony)
3. Carbonaceous
They are not distributed evenly.
Silicate ones orbits closer to the Sun
and Carbonaceous ones` farther out.
Groups of Asteroids
Asteroids can also be divided
into groups based on where
they orbit:
• Apollo: These asteroids
orbit closer to the Sun.
Within the orbit of Mars.
Many cross Earth’s orbit and
may strike Earth.
The largest, Sisyphus, is 10 km in diameter, is
about the same size as the one that wiped out the
Dinosaurs
• The Asteroid Belt between
Mars and Jupiter contains
by far the most asteroids.
The larger Asteroids form
Kirkwood gaps
• The Trojan asteroids orbit
on Juptier’s orbit.
Trapped by Jupiter’s & the
Sun’s gravity
They are divided into two
“camps”
The Greeks 60° in front,
and the Trojans, 60° behind
Jupiter
• The Centaur
asteriod group.
(in Orange)
Orbits between
Jupiter and
Neptune
Many crossing
Saturn’s and
Uranus’ orbits
They have a comet
like composition
The largest are Chiron and Chariklo at about 230Km
and 260 km diameters respectively
Another Dwarf Planet?
Vesta is the second largest (at about 600km diameter) asteroid in
the asteroid belt.
The Space probe “Dawn” visited it and Ceres to determine if it is a
Dwarf Planet or not.
While it is still being debated most think it isn’t
Ida and Dactyl
Ida was the first Asteroid to be discovered that has a …
Moon!
Tiny Dactyl