What is Asteroid: Definition and 279 Discussions

An asteroid is a minor planet of the inner Solar System. Historically, these terms have been applied to any astronomical object orbiting the Sun that did not resolve into a disc in a telescope and was not observed to have characteristics of an active comet such as a tail. As minor planets in the outer Solar System were discovered that were found to have volatile-rich surfaces similar to comets, these came to be distinguished from the objects found in the main asteroid belt. The term "asteroid" refers to the minor planets of the inner Solar System, including those co-orbital with Jupiter. Larger asteroids are often called planetoids.

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  1. Evo

    Massive Football Field-Sized Asteroid Comes Close to Earth

    This is rather disturbing. https://weather.com/science/space/news/2018-04-17-asteroid-massive-2018-ge3-nasa-flyby
  2. T

    Position of the front of an asteroid using special relativity

    Homework Statement I'm stuck on part (d) but I've included the previous subquestions in case they're useful. The length of an asteroid is exactly 300 m = 1 µls (micro light-second) when at rest. Draw a carefully labelled space-time diagram to illustrate the following: (a) Depict the rest...
  3. G

    B Can Star Wars-like asteroid storms exist?

    I know, in our solar system, the asteroid belt is very rare, and the rings of Saturn is thin. But can dense asteroid clouds exist elsewhere? For example in a binary star system, where constant changing of gravity prevent the forming of a planet from chunks?
  4. R

    I Detecting Asteroid Collisions: 'Oumuamua & Radio Telescopes

    A reasonably read and educated laymen, would response to a claim that science and technology still have no means to detect a big asteroid collision with earth, by saying that according to what he read and saw in communication channels reliable enough, an object of that size on course to hit...
  5. L

    B Is 'Oumuamua an Alien Spaceship or Just a Cosmic Coincidence?

    Given the evidence available as of today, is it reasonable to believe there is even a miniscule chance that the Oumuamua asteroid was built by aliens? Or is this just sensationalist journalism?
  6. shihab-kol

    B Why is the asteroid belt located between Mars and Jupiter?

    The asteroid belt is present between Mars and Jupiter but why is it spaced out like that? Why not between some other planets?
  7. C

    B First Interstellar Asteroid Found

    The first asteroid ever seen from another solar system is whizzing through our own, and astronomers are racing to observe the visitor before it slips away. Links: Nature http://www.skyandtelescope.com/astronomy-news/astronomers-spot-first-known-interstellar-comet/
  8. J

    I How to determine if an asteroid will burn up or hit Earth?

    I want to make a interactive simulation that shows whether or not an asteroid will hit the surface of the Earth. It would have 2 sliders for you to control the speed and mass of the asteroid. The simulation will output "yes" or "no" if the asteroid hits the surface. Is there a mathematical...
  9. L

    B See Asteroid Florence Tonight in Frankfurt Germany

    I live in Frankfurt, Germany and want to see this asteroid tonight. I have a set of decent binoculars. When and where should I look?
  10. tony873004

    B Asteroid Florence will soon pass Earth

    Florence is a miles-wide asteroid that will come within 4.4 million miles of Earth on September 1. That's very close for an asteroid this size. On my twitter is an animation and a link to a simulation of Florence as viewed from Earth. It comes from the southern sky and disappears to the north...
  11. Noisy Rhysling

    Wasn't there a thread on making living space out of asteroid

    Because I just got started on John Varley's Dark Lightning, about an asteroid converted to an interstellar vehicle. Nice word pictures there. Any, some possible help for the person asking the question. Original thread is closed.
  12. M

    I Computer friendly list of bodies in the asteroid belt?

    Is there a computer friendly list with the known bodies in the Solar System astroid belt, that contains their physical properties, position and velocities?
  13. M

    Writing: Input Wanted Design of large rotating asteroid interior space

    Hi. I'm working on a science fiction story about colonization of the solar system. Asteroid way stations are an important part of the story. I want to construct a realistic scenario about how we could convert the Eros asteroid into a shuttling habitat in it's current orbit (or something close...
  14. R

    Asteroid close encounter: speed at perigee

    Homework Statement an asteroid heading towards earth, has a speed of 7.25 km/s as it passes the moons orbit, kit misses Earth by 5000km. What is the speed at the closest point to earth? The professor provided us with the solution, which should be 11.0 km/s, however when I do the calculation...
  15. E

    Temperature of a spinning and non spinning asteroid

    Homework Statement Consider a rapidly rotating asteroid with an albedo (reflectivity) averaged over the solar spectrum of 0.05 that orbits around a 3 solar mass star that has the same surface temperature as the Sun. The asteroid’s orbit has a semi-major axis of 15 AU. What is its equilibrium...
  16. caters

    Are asteroid collisions as dangerous as they seem?

    The generation ship in my fictional story was built by aliens that know how to use these 3 things: Artificial gravity to make it feel like Earth throughout the ship. Controlled nuclear fusion with 6 tanks. Only 1 needs to be fueled and you have fuel that will last for at least thousands if not...
  17. JayFlynn

    MATLAB Plotting the tragectory of an asteroid in MATLAB

    I am trying to plot the trajectory of an asteroid in MATLAB using ode23. The only bodies in the system are The Sun, Earth, Mars and Jupiter and their orbital data has been loaded from data files. I have picked arbitrary initial conditions for the asteroid and believe my forces are correct. My...
  18. TheBigDig

    What is the orbital period of an asteroid between Earth and Jupiter?

    Homework Statement The orbit of an asteroid extends from the Earth’s orbit to Jupiter’s orbit, just touching both. Assume that the planetary orbits are circular and co-planar and that Newton’s constant G, the mass of the sun Ms, the mass of the asteroid ma and the radii of the Earth’s and...
  19. A

    B What Color Are Asteroids? Classification and Composition Explained

    Hi all, This is such a simple question that seems that it is very hard to find an answer to. What color are the asteroids (or major groups of asteroids)? I'm not talking about spectral colors, but actual colors I would see of the rocks that make up the asteroids if they were here on Earth. I...
  20. F

    How Fast is an Asteroid Traveling Toward Earth?

    Homework Statement A asteroid is hurtling towards Earth and humankind has decided to fire a nuclear warhead at it in order to avert disaster. In order be most effective the rocket carrying the warhead has to impact the asteroid at 40km/s. The rocket itself travels at 12km/s. What remains is to...
  21. D

    I Modeling a Binary Asteroid System Around the Sun

    I am trying to create a model/simulation for a pair of binary asteroids in orbit around the sun and I'm wondering what would the best way to do this? The restricted 3-body problem doesn't work as I can't assume any of the 3 bodies as having negligible effect right? However the full 3 body...
  22. eurus

    B Exploring the Asteroid Belt: Understanding Size and Composition

    Can someone please help me in calculating the total size in km of the Asteroid Belt? I have read the Asteroid Belt if lumped together would create a planet 4 times the size of Earth, however, I am trying to validate these numbers and am having difficulty in doing so. Here are the facts I have...
  23. Tris Fray Potter

    B Asteroid Binding Energy: E=mv^2?

    If the binding energy in nuclear physics is e=mc^2, then would the binding energy of a larger object be: e=mv^2 where v=the velocity of the asteroid?
  24. tony873004

    B Very close asteroid pass in a few hours

    An asteroid will pass within Earth's geosynchronous zone in a few hours. This should be an easy binocular object for Australia and New Zealand. Here are a few simulations of this event: https://twitter.com/tony873004/status/773284081610035200
  25. Author_X

    Backstory Help: Asteroid Collision in California

    I am currently working on the backstory to a story I'm writing as a means of world-building. However, I'm not quite as physics-literate as everyone else, so rather than winging it and coming off like an idiot, I came here. http://sta.sh/0126svntmin Exhibit A. The red marks the range of the...
  26. D

    Asteroid deflected by Earth -- effect on Earth

    Homework Statement Suppose the asteroid of [other problem] has a mass of 6 \times 10^{20} \textrm{kg} . Find the proportional change in the kinetic energy of the Earth in this encounter. What is the change in the semi-major axis of the Earth's orbit? By how much is its orbital period...
  27. J

    I The Largest Air Burst on Earth

    On June 30, 1908, the remote Siberian region of Tunguska made headline news when an explosion knocked down 80 million trees in an area of only 770 square miles. The mystery was that there was no crater, which led to the assumption that the space bomb responsible for the catastrophe detonated in...
  28. russ_watters

    Stargazing Amateurs Discover Asteroid Impacting Jupiter

    Two amateur astrophotographers in Europe separately photographed what appears to have been an asteroid impacting Jupiter, at least one using a low-intermediate level telescope: http://www.foxnews.com/science/2016/03/29/did-asteroid-slam-into-jupiter.html?intcmp=hphz06 Confirmation pending...
  29. pioneerboy

    Stargazing Is a Telescope for Asteroids the Key to Discovering New Main Belt Objects?

    Would such a telescope be useful for discovering new main belt asteroids: http://www.officinastellare.com/products_scheda.php?idProd=29
  30. I

    How High Can You Jump on asteroid 243 Ida?

    Homework Statement The asteroid 243 Ida has a mass of about 4.0×1016kg and an average radius of about 16 km (it’s not spherical, but you can assume it is). If you can jump 61 cm straight up on earth, how high could you jump on 243 Ida? (Assume the asteroid’s gravity doesn’t weaken significantly...
  31. J

    [Orbital mechanics] Asteroid angular momentum

    Homework Statement : [/B] A vector is perpendicular to B vector, and they stay still, relative to the body. No torque is applied on the asteroid, although he dissipates very little rotational kinetic energy, due to drag on dust clouds. It was also determined that the asteroid is a long body...
  32. pioneerboy

    I How to determine an asteroid survey efficiency?

    I read in a couple of papers about asteroid hunting that they used artificially implemented asteroids in real images to see if their detection algorithms could find them. This way, the scientists determined their asteroid survey efficiency in real data. As I don't have the resources to work so...
  33. A

    Force required to "move" asteroid

    Hello All, Consider below scenario. Suppose there is a small asteroid in space rotating around itself. I reach to that asteroid in my spacecraft and match spacecraft 's orbital speed with the rotation speed of the asteroid. I eject my fancy carbon fiber net from my spacecraft which is...
  34. A

    How Does Rosetta Maintain Orbit Around a Low-Gravity Comet?

    Hi All, I know that Rosetta was orbiting around 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko. This asteroid has extremely low gravitational force acting on Rosetta. I believe that if the celestial body is heavy (mass), then there would be greater gravitational pull on the satellite and the orbital speed of it's...
  35. D

    Calculating the Earth's Recoil Speed After Asteroid Impact

    Homework Statement Most geologists believe that the dinosaurs became extinct 65 million years ago when a large comet or asteroid struck the earth, throwing up so much dust that the sun was blocked out for a period of many months. Suppose an asteroid with a diameter of 2.0km and a mass of...
  36. Mark Brewer

    Advanced Engineering Problem: Asteroid on a collision course

    Homework Statement A start to solving this question would be much appreciated. Question: An asteroid from the Kuiper belt (approximately 30 AU from the Sun) is knocked out of its circular orbit and begins to fall straight inwards towards the Sun. We want to know how long it will take to get...
  37. Crush1986

    Modeling an Asteroid's Trajectory Towards the Sun Using Differential Equations

    Homework Statement An asteroid is knocked out of the Kuiper belt and starts to fall toward the sun. (Assume it's initial potential energy and kinetic energy is 0.) a. Write down the differential equation for r(t) giving the position of the asteroid as a function of time. b. Solve the...
  38. G

    What are the dangers and jobs of living in the asteroid belt?

    So far i imagine things as following : instead of spinning up the whole rock, they have a spin station nearby, and build really big structures in microgravity, hangars for ships, factories etc. Due to lack of biosphere, it is common to reprocess dead bodies to food, fergitilizer. Questions ...
  39. C

    Moving an asteroid into earth orbit

    Hi, I'm trying to figure out how big an asteroid we might be able to "capture" and bring back into Earth orbit for mining - both with today's technology and with potential technologies of the future. Specifically I am looking at a rock that is 500 feet in diameter and relatively round. My math...
  40. Spinnor

    Peanut-shaped near-Earth asteroid imaged by radar

    Why is the brightest part of the asteroid radar image below the upper edges? From, http://astronomynow.com/2015/08/03/peanut-shaped-near-earth-asteroid-1999jd6-imaged-by-radar/ Is it a software effect? I would naively think that the greatest radar intensity would be reflected from the parts...
  41. C

    How space works:Why does an asteroid crush a human in space?

    I hve a question: IF there is no air resistance or ANY type of resistance in space, then how come an asteroid or fast moving object can crush a persons face in space (like in the movie: Gravity) My logic is the following: If you imagine a spring extended in space, and a fast moving ball hits...
  42. F

    Calculating Speed of Asteroid at its Perihelion

    This is not part of my coursework; I am preparing for an exam and this is a question from a past paper to which answers are not given. 1. Homework Statement An asteroid orbiting the sun has its perihelion at 1AU and its aphelion at 3AU. Calculate the speed of the asteroid at its Perihelion...
  43. F

    Velocity of an asteroid from an infinite distance

    Homework Statement An asteroid which strikes the Earth starts from rest a very large distance r from the Earth (say r = ∞). What will its speed be when it hits the earth? (Use M = 6.0×1024 kg, r= 6.4×106 m, G = 6.7×10-11 m3 kg-1 s-2) Homework Equations [/B] U=-GmM/r F=GmM/r^2 The Attempt...
  44. G

    Can Non-Destructive Methods Stop a Giant Asteroid from Hitting Earth?

    I've heard that "blowing up" asteroids as seen in films would be ineffective, as it would turn the individual object into a shotgun spray of smaller asteroids with a larger perimeter. Which would be more likely to damage our planet. But what about firing rubber bullets (or objects with little...
  45. MajesticPenguin

    An Asteroid is moving along a straight line

    Homework Statement An asteroid is moving along a straight line. A force acts along the displacement of the asteroid and slows it down. The asteroid has a mass of 4.5*10^4 kg, and the force causes its speed to change from 7100m/s to 5500m/s. (a) What is the work done by the force? (b) If the...
  46. H

    Asteroid colliding with a planet

    Homework Statement Suppose that an asteroid traveling straight toward the center of the Earth were to collide with our planet at the equator and bury itself just below the surface. What would have to be the mass of this asteroid, in terms of the Earth's mass M , for the day to become 26.0%...
  47. at94official

    Asteroid 99942 Apophis impacting the Earth in 2029

    Good Day everyone! :wink: I don't know if this thread is repeated already. Because I can't find one. I just want to ask you guys what are your insights for the asteroid apophis' possible impact to Earth by 2029? Upon its discovery in 2004, Apophis was briefly estimated to have a 2.7% chance of...
  48. E

    Cross Section for Asteroid Impact

    Homework Statement In this problem, you will estimate the cross section for an earth-asteroid collision. In all that follows, assume that the Earth is fixed in space and that the radius of the asteroid is much less than the radius R of the earth. The mass of the Earth is M_e, and the mass of...
  49. Dotini

    Asteroid 2004 BL86 and its small moon

    http://www.nasa.gov/jpl/asteroid-that-flew-past-earth-today-has-moon/ Radar observations of small object apparently orbiting an asteroid near Earth. Edit: a sharpened video. http://www.space.com/28438-asteroid-2004-bl86-moon-sharp-video.html...
  50. Andy Resnick

    Can Radio Telescopes Capture Detailed Images of Asteroids and Their Moons?

    Asteroid 2004-B186 is passing by this evening (monday), with a maximum magnitude 9.5 (visible with bionculars/small telescopes). Here's a chart: http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/images/2004bl86_starchart.jpg Hoping for a (reasonably) clear evening...
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