Asteroid Belt
From Gwn
| Asteroid Belt | |
| File:AsteroidBelt.gif | |
| Discovered: | Known since the dawn of humanity. |
| Named After: | Named after its celestial appearence and composition. |
The asteroid belt is a region of the solar system falling roughly between the planets Mars and Jupiter. It is where the greatest concentration of asteroid orbits can be found. The reigon of space that a majority of the asteroid belt is located is called the Sargasso Sea, and it has been used for over 2 centuries as a resource yard by humanity.
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History
The asteroid belt can be considered a relic of the primitive Solar System, as it has been affected by many processes active in later periods. Factors affecting the current system are internal heating, impact melting, and space weathering. Hence, the asteroids themselves are not particularly pristine. Instead, the objects in the outer Kuiper belt are believed to have experienced much less change since the Solar System's formation.
Notable Objects
Ceres
Ceres is the largest object in the asteroid belt. It follows an orbit between Mars and Jupiter, within the main asteroid belt, with a period of 4.6 years. Ceres' size and mass are sufficient to give it a nearly spherical shape. The other large asteroids such as Pallas, Juno, and Vesta are known to be quite irregular in shape. The asteroid planet's surface is relatively warm and it has a light atmosphere and frost. The maximum temperature with the Sun overhead is on average -25°C.
It is named after the mythological figure Ceres, Roman goddess of plants.
Pallas
Pallas (2 Pallas) is the third largest object in the asteroid belt, similar to Vesta in volume, but significantly less massive. Its orbit is highly inclined and somewhat eccentric despite being located at the same distance from the sun as the central part of the Main belt.
The asteroid is named after Pallas, the daughter of Triton and friend of Athena in Greek mythology. There are several male characters of the same name in Greek mythology, but the first asteroids were invariably given female names.
Juno
Juno (3 Juno) was the third asteroid to be discovered. Juno is one of the largest asteroids, containing approximately 1.0% the mass of the entire asteroid belt. In a ranking by size, it is the tenth largest. The maximum temperature on the surface, when the sun is overhead, is approximately 20-30°C.
It was discovered on September 1, 1804 by German astronomer Karl L. Harding and named after the mythological figure Juno, the highest Roman goddess.
Vesta
Vesta (4 Vesta) is the second most massive object in the asteroid belt, with a mean diameter of about 530 km and an estimated mass 9% the mass of the entire asteroid belt. Its size and unusually bright surface make Vesta the brightest asteroid, and the only one ever visible to the naked eye from Earth besides Ceres, which is visible under exceptional viewing conditions.
Vesta was discovered by the German astronomer Heinrich Wilhelm Olbers on March 29, 1807. He allowed the prominent mathematician Carl Friedrich Gauss to name the asteroid after the Roman virgin goddess of home and hearth, Vesta.
