EVERYDAY SCIENCE

Detailed explanation-1: -There are about 40, 000 known asteroids that are over 0.5 miles (1 km) in diameter in the asteroid belt . About 3, 000 asteroids have been cataloged. There are many more smaller asteroids. The first one discovered (and the biggest) is named Ceres; it was discovered in 1801.

Detailed explanation-2: -As of today, astronomers around the world (including amateurs, students, and professionals) have discovered about 9000 near-Earth objects (NEOs), nearly 600, 000 Main Belt asteroids, and thousands of comets.

Detailed explanation-3: -Asteroids are small, rocky bodies that have been left over from the formation of the planets 4.5 billion years ago. They are often known as ‘minor planets’. There are thought to be billions of these chunks of rock. Most of them lie in a doughnut-shaped ‘main belt’ between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.

Detailed explanation-4: -Asteroids are small, rocky, debris left over from the formation of our solar system around 4.6 billion years ago. There are currently over 822, 000 known asteroids.

Detailed explanation-5: -The four largest asteroids in the belt are called Ceres, Vesta, Pallas, and Hygiea. These large asteroids make up about half of the mass of the entire asteroid belt. Scientists like to say that if you combined all of these rocky asteroids together, it would make a planet a bit smaller than Earth’s moon.