Archive for the ‘Asteroids’ Category
Asteroids
Asteroids are small rocky or icy bodies that orbit the sun. There are over 100,000 in orbit and the largest is 1,003 km in diameter. The term asteroid is usually given to objects larger than 1.6 km in diameter. Asteroids are actually smaller than any of the planets, and only a few have a diameter of above 30 km. Most asteroids are found in an orbit between Mars and Jupiter, and more than 7000 have been identified. One asteroid, called Ida, has its own tiny moon and this is the smallest known satellite in the whole solar system.