What are the distinguishing characteristics of an asteroid?

Question

Responses

Asteroids are small, rocky or metallic objects in space.
Asteroids are small, rocky or metallic objects in space.

Asteroids orbit the sun and have enough gravity to be round.
Asteroids orbit the sun and have enough gravity to be round.

Asteroids are too small to be planets. They can be as small as dust or as large as 965 kilometers across.
Asteroids are too small to be planets. They can be as small as dust or as large as 965 kilometers across.

Asteroids are made up of ice, gas, and rock. They can leave behind a trail of gas and dust.

Answer 1

Asteroids are primarily characterized by the following distinguishing features:

1. Composition: Asteroids are small, rocky or metallic objects in space, primarily made up of minerals and metals. Unlike comets, they generally lack significant amounts of ice and gas.

2. Orbit: Asteroids orbit the sun, generally found in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, but they can also be found throughout the solar system.

3. Size: They are too small to be classified as planets and can range significantly in size—from as small as a few meters to several hundred kilometers across. The largest known asteroid, Ceres, has a diameter of about 940 kilometers.

4. Shape: Most asteroids are irregularly shaped because they do not have enough mass for their gravity to pull them into a spherical shape. However, larger asteroids can be nearly round if they have sufficient gravity.

5. Trails: Unlike comets, asteroids do not typically leave behind a trail of gas and dust, as they are not composed of icy materials that sublimate.

In summary, asteroids are rocky or metallic bodies that orbit the sun, are smaller than planets, typically irregularly shaped, and lack the volatile components found in comets.