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The asteroid and comet belts orbit the Sun from the inner rocky planets into outer parts of the Solar System, interstellar space. [16] [17] [18] An astronomical unit, or AU, is the distance from Earth to the Sun, which is approximately 150 billion meters (93 million miles). [19] Small Solar System objects are classified by their orbits: [20] [21]
Of the roughly one million known asteroids, [3] the greatest number are located between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, approximately 2 to 4 AU from the Sun, in a region known as the main asteroid belt. The total mass of all the asteroids combined is only 3% that of Earth's Moon.
Primordial asteroids entered these gaps because of the migration of Jupiter's orbit. [87] Subsequently, asteroids primarily migrate into these gap orbits due to the Yarkovsky effect, [72] but may also enter because of perturbations or collisions. After entering, an asteroid is gradually nudged into a different, random orbit with a larger or ...
Called a "mini-moon" of sorts by some, it temporarily entered Earth's orbit on Sept. 29 from the Arjuna asteroid belt, which follows a similar orbital path around the sun as the Earth.
No vulcanoids, asteroids between the orbit of Mercury and the Sun, have been discovered. [132] [133] As of 2024, one asteroid has been discovered to orbit completely within Venus's orbit, 594913 ꞌAylóꞌchaxnim. [134] Venus-crossing asteroids are those that cross the orbit of Venus. There are 2,809 as of 2015.
Euler diagram showing the types of bodies orbiting the Sun. The following is a list of Solar System objects by orbit, ordered by increasing distance from the Sun. Most named objects in this list have a diameter of 500 km or more. The Sun, a spectral class G2V main-sequence star; The inner Solar System and the terrestrial planets. 2021 PH27; Mercury
Set to launch no earlier than June 2028, the telescope is designed to discover 90% of asteroids and comets that are 460 feet in size or larger and come within 30 million miles of Earth’s orbit ...
Asteroids usually have a prograde orbit around the Sun. Only a few dozen asteroids in retrograde orbits are known. Some asteroids with retrograde orbits may be burnt-out comets, [16] but some may acquire their retrograde orbit due to gravitational interactions with Jupiter. [17]