Because asteroids are a fundamental part of the way the Earth works and are often discussed when discussing anything solar system-related, we’ve all heard about them. When you think longer about what we actually know about these objects, just hearing a couple of things about them or recognizing the word itself doesn’t really mean much. The asteroids are quite interesting space objects, and there is much we can learn about them.
Whether you are an experienced solar fan or a newbie looking for some new information about asteroids, here are some interesting facts to get you started.
Age is just a number
Our solar system contains a wide variety of objects of varying ages. But asteroids, despite their size, are just as old as or even older than some of the planets out there. Essentially, asteroids are chunks of debris and rock that have formed before colliding to form planets or that have been leftover from planet formation, so many of these space objects are indeed ancient.
Pulling towards one another
When asteroids become larger in size, they create their own amounts of gravity, which has led to some fascinating phenomena. Scientists have observed some larger chunks to have their own debris rings that orbit around the main asteroid from the gravitational pull, and rarely but occasionally sighted asteroids creating tails with other rocks.
Not Only Junk
Asteroids aren’t just rocks and debris, as most people think, because they’re what collided to form planets and, in some cases, life and atmospheres. Minerals, ice, water, and metals comprise their interior. Melted ice may have left water trails on the surface.
Variation
Out in space, an asteroid can appear in many different ways. As a result, there is a wide range of looks, sizes, contents, and gravitational pulls, which can lead to significant differences in understanding or appearance. Asteroids can be up to 100 meters wide in some cases, and they’re never or rarely actual spheres like most planets appear to be.
This may not be the most in-depth summary or reading on today’s learning focus that you can find, but it is helpful to give a bit of an introduction, refresher, or even slight expansion on the knowledge that most of you may have on asteroids. Space is a vast area of untapped potential, and while scientists are still learning we can all take some time out of our day to find something new to learn about what’s out there or refresh ourselves on the pieces we already know some of.
Hopefully learning something new or old about asteroids can give you some good food for thought today, and you can share with friends or family to loop them in on this fun reading topic!
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