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About 30–35% of the bodies in the asteroid belt belong to dynamical families, each thought to have a common origin in a past collision between asteroids. A family has also been associated with the plutoid dwarf planet Haumea. Some asteroids have unusual horseshoe orbits that are co-orbital with Earth or another planet.
Until 2001, most basaltic bodies discovered in the asteroid belt were believed to originate from the asteroid Vesta (hence their name V-type), but the discovery of the asteroid 1459 Magnya revealed a slightly different chemical composition from the other basaltic asteroids discovered until then, suggesting a different origin. [80]
"All meteorites falling onto Earth, which are fragments from both C-type and S-type asteroids, originate from the asteroid belt. So it appears to be most likely that the (end-Cretaceous) impactor ...
Moons have come to exist around most planets and many other Solar System bodies. These natural satellites originated by one of three possible mechanisms: Co-formation from a circumplanetary disc (only in the cases of the giant planets); Formation from impact debris (given a large enough impact at a shallow angle); and; Capture of a passing object.
The gap between the planets Mars and Jupiter disclosed by the Titius–Bode law was filled by the discovery of the asteroids Ceres and Pallas in 1801 and 1802 with many more following. At first, astronomical thought in America was based on Aristotelian philosophy , [ 91 ] but interest in the new astronomy began to appear in Almanacs as early as ...
We knew that an asteroid heralded the end of the age of the dinosaurs. Now researchers say they have discovered a key element in their extinction
Satellites in geostationary orbit. From the list in the first section, these are the closest known asteroids per year that approach Earth within one lunar distance.More than one asteroid per year may be listed if its geocentric distance [note 1] is within a tenth of the lunar distance, or 0.10 LD.
Here's what to know about Apophis and how space agencies hope to protect Earth from other asteroids like it. Apophis to make 2029 flyby to Earth Apophis is projected to pass within 20,000 miles of ...