Orbit of the Asteroid Belt
The asteroid belt is a group of asteroids, otherwise known as minor planets, that orbit the sun in the area between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. They are thought to be leftover fragments from the creation of the solar system. Some have theorized that there was a huge collision between two planetary bodies in the early days after the solar system was formed that caused the asteroids to be scattered in this area.
Other People Are Reading
-
Main Belt
-
The "main belt" is the term given to the part of the asteroid belt that has the highest concentrations of minor planets. This core of the belt contains 93.4 percent of all recognized minor planets in our solar system. The orbit is mostly elliptical like that of a planet. However, the various asteroids all share their own technical orbit, and this means that some of them can deviate far from the normal elliptical orbit that is most common. Naturally, the high population of asteroids in the main belt can also lead to collisions being pretty frequent, at least in astronomical terms.
Kirkwood Gaps
-
The Kirkwood gap is the term used to refer to the more irregular asteroids in the belt that do not seem to follow the same orbital rules as those found in the main belt. The gravitational properties of the asteroids can cause some of them to break away from the normal belt and orbit in a seemingly unusual format. An astronomer named Daniel Kirkwood proposed that these gaps occurred in 1866. The bottom line is that while the asteroids seem to be travelling through space together, the fact still remains that each body has its own orbit.
-
Technical Specifications
-
Asteroids that are part of the main belt area have orbital eccentricities of not more than 0.4. Their inclination varies but is always less than 30 degrees. Kirkwood gap asteroids can vary widely in eccentricity and inclination, so it is hard to classify them except on an individual basis.
Jupiter's Influence
-
The gas giant Jupiter's incredible gravitational pull exerts its influence over the asteroid belt. In fact, the force is so great that the asteroids in the belt move at speeds of three miles per second. This is part of the reason the planetary fragments have never been able to pull together and reform as a planet. The gravitational influences of Jupiter and Mars are a huge contributor to the asteroid belt's orbit.
Visibility
-
Most of the asteroids in the asteroid belt are invisible to the naked eye. This is because the vast majority of them are simply not that large. However, their sometimes irregular orbits sometimes allow us to get a better view of them. Ceres, the largest known asteroid in our solar system, has an orbit that allows it to be visible to the naked eye, but only when it reaches its closest approach to Earth.
-
References
- Photo Credit Solar System image by kolesn from Fotolia.com
