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Loren Booda
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Despite Jupiter's gravitational tides, is the asteroid belt gradually coalescing into a planet(esimal) to rival Mercury (and Pluto) in size?
Asteroids are small, rocky objects that orbit the sun. They are typically found in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, but can also be found in other parts of the solar system.
As of 2021, over 1 million asteroids have been discovered in our solar system, with thousands more being discovered each year.
No, asteroids do not have enough mass to form a planet on their own. They are much smaller than planets and are not able to clear their orbits of other objects, which is one of the criteria for being classified as a planet.
While asteroid collisions can have significant impacts on the solar system, they are not capable of creating a 10th planet. Even if two large asteroids were to collide, the resulting object would still not have enough mass to be considered a planet.
No, there is currently no evidence of a 10th planet made entirely of asteroids. While there are some dwarf planets in the outer solar system that have a high concentration of asteroids, they are not considered planets due to their size and composition.