AsteroidsBy: Ethan and Kacey

What are they?Chunks of rock that measure in size from few feet

to several miles in diameter

Rocky remains from the formation of the solar system

Most asteroids lies in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter

Small asteroids called meteoroids

MoreMost asteroids are too

small to cause any damage

Instead they burn up in the atmosphere and appear as shooting stars

Scientists have found more than 90,000 asteroids

CeresThe largest asteroid in asteroid belt

About 950 kilometers wide

In 2006, Ceres was added to the list of dwarf planets

ErosOdd shaped

Near earth asteroid

Found outside asteroid belt

Twice the size of Manhattan Island

GaspraMade of mixture of rocky and metallic minerals

Surface covered with impact craters

About 200 million years old

VestaThird largest in asteroid belt

Most geological diverse terrain

Ancient lava flows, meteorite impacts, radioactive “shrapnel” shaped its surface

Location Grouping

Four main groups of asteroidsMain Belt: ring of rocky objects circling

between orbits of Mars and Jupiter Kuiper Belt: objects orbit far from the

Sun in the outer solar systemTrojans: objects located near Jupiter's

Lagrange points (60 degrees ahead and behind Jupiter’s orbit)

Near Earth Asteroids: Have orbits that bring them within 1.3 AU of the Sun

CompositionMade of different minerals

and substances

Asteroids nearest to sun mostly made of carbon while the ones further away are made of silicate rock

Composition depends on which planet they originated from

Many asteroids result of larger asteroids hitting planets or each other during beginning of the Solar System

Composition ClassingC class asteroids: Found in Earth's outer belt and

darker and more carbonaceous

D class asteroids: Known as Trojan asteroids of Jupiter and dark and carbonaceous

S class asteroids: Found in the Earth's inner belt, close to Mars and composed of stone and iron

V class asteroids: Far-out group that follow path between orbits of Jupiter and Uranus, and made of eruptive materials

Video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zvCUmeoHp

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Works Cited "Asteroids and Comets, Asteroids and Comets Information, Facts,

News, Photos -- National Geographic." Science and Space Facts, Science and Space, Human Body, Health, Earth, Human Disease - National Geographic. Web. 08 Feb. 2011. <http://science.nationalgeographic.com/science/space/solar-system/asteroids-comets-article.html>.

"Interesting Facts About Asteroids." Universe Today. Web. 08 Feb. 2011. <http://www.universetoday.com/33406/interesting-facts-about-asteroids/>.

"Asteroid Facts - Explore the Cosmos." The Planetary Society. Web. 08 Feb. 2011. <http://www.planetary.org/explore/topics/asteroids_and_comets/facts.html>.

"Asteroids  L  Asteroid Facts, Pictures and Information." The Nine Planets Solar System Tour. Web. 10 Feb. 2011. <http://nineplanets.org/asteroids.html>.