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Why is the "empty space" of the solar system filled with these small celestial bodies? How was the asteroid belt formed?
The asteroid belt, located between Mars and Jupiter, is a ring-shaped area containing countless small solid celestial bodies, which are often called asteroids. Objects here are mostly irregularly shaped and of low mass, with an average distance of about one million kilometers. The formation of the asteroid belt is closely related to the early history of the solar system. This process not only reveals the operation of interstellar dust and gas, but also affects the formation of planets.
The asteroid belt is the smallest and innermost known disk of the solar system surrounding a star.
The mass of the asteroid belt is only about 3% of the moon. Among them, the four largest asteroids - Ceres, Vesta, Pallas and Hykia - account for about 60% of the total mass of the asteroid belt. The reason why this space is full of small celestial bodies is mainly due to gravitational disturbances and different formation processes during the formation of the solar system.
The formation of the asteroid belt
The formation of the asteroid belt can be traced back to the early days of the solar system. At that time, a cloud called the 'Primordial Solar Nebula' collapsed due to gravity and produced the early stars. In this process, small particles collide with each other through adhesion and aggregate, eventually forming a pre-planetary object, called a planetary embryo. However, gravitational interference between Mars and Jupiter inhibits asteroid aggregation.
99.9% of the asteroid belt's original mass was lost within the first 100 million years of the solar system's history.
These gravitational disturbances not only caused the fragmentation of asteroids, but also caused many meteoroids to enter other orbits, ultimately reducing the mass of the asteroid belt and forming the various small objects now observed.
The composition and classification of asteroids
There are three main types of asteroids: carbonaceous asteroids (J-type), silicate asteroids (S-type) and metallic asteroids (M-type). The composition of each type of asteroid and the distance it follows the sun show certain trends, which reflects the environment in which they formed in the solar system.
Existing examples of the asteroid belt are remnants of the original material of the solar system, which have undergone evolutions such as internal heating, surface melting, and micrometeorite impacts.
The size of these asteroids ranges from a few meters to hundreds of kilometers, with the largest Ceres having a diameter of about 950 kilometers, while other asteroids are generally smaller. Despite the existence of so many asteroids, the entire asteroid belt is still relatively empty.
The evolution of asteroids
During the formation and evolution of the asteroid belt, many asteroids experienced varying degrees of change. Internal heating and early collisions gave asteroids different chemical compositions, and these changes affected their orbits and composition. These evolutions may have even contributed to the formation of Earth's oceans, as some asteroids are thought to be sources of water.
There are currently about 700,000 to 1.75 million known asteroids. This is only the number that has been discovered. The actual number may be in the millions or even more.
The orbits of asteroids are affected by Jupiter's gravity, forming some specific resonance areas, which also prompts them to collide with each other, further creating new asteroid groups. This process reveals the diversity of material components in the asteroid belt and allows scientists to study the early history of the solar system.
Observe history
The discovery of this series of asteroids began in 1596, when astronomer Kepler predicted that there would be a planet between Mars and Jupiter. After decades of search, in 1830, scientists successfully found Ceres, the first celestial body named after a planet and located in the asteroid belt. Subsequently, asteroids were discovered one after another, further deepening people's understanding of this field.
To this day, scientists’ observations and research are still ongoing, which has further enlightened many questions about the origin of asteroids.
With the advancement of science and technology and the increase of data, our understanding of the asteroid belt continues to deepen. However, when we try to explain this interstellar "empty space", we still wonder whether there are more hidden things behind it. Secrets and possibilities?
