SOLAR SYSTEM

Detailed explanation-1: -Asteroids are very small, rocky bodies that orbit the Sun. “Asteroid” means “star-like, ‘’ and in a telescope, asteroids look like points of light, just like stars. Asteroids are irregularly shaped because they do not have enough gravity to become round.

Detailed explanation-2: -Irregular shapes of asteroids can be formed through collisional destruction and coalescence of planetesimals.

Detailed explanation-3: -To be a planet, an object must be massive enough for gravity to have squeezed it into a spherical, or round, shape, . It must also be large enough for gravity to have swept up any rocky or icy objects from its path, or orbit, around the star.

Detailed explanation-4: -Most asteroids are very small but they do have gravity and can affect any objects that come too close. The more iron (Fe) and nickel (Ni) in the makeup of an asteroid, the greater its mass (and gravity). Scientists also use the amount of metal in asteroid classification.

Detailed explanation-5: -A planet is round because of gravity. A planet’s gravity pulls equally from all sides. Gravity pulls from the center to the edges like the spokes of a bicycle wheel. This makes the overall shape of a planet a sphere, which is a three-dimensional circle.