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On average the distance between the asteroids is about 965,600 km (600,000 miles), [68] [69] although this varies among asteroid families and smaller undetected asteroids might be even closer. The total mass of the asteroid belt is estimated to be 2.39 × 10 21 kg, which is 3% of the mass of the Moon. [ 2 ]
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 ]
Asteroids number in the hundreds of thousands. For longer lists, see list of exceptional asteroids, list of asteroids, or list of Solar System objects by size. Asteroid moons; A number of smaller groups distinct from the asteroid belt; The outer Solar System with the giant planets, their satellites, trojan asteroids and some minor planets. Jupiter
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.
It is a non-family asteroid from the main belt's background population, [3] [4] and orbits the Sun in the central asteroid belt at a distance of 1.9–3.3 AU once every 4 years and 2 months (1,534 days; semi-major axis of 2.6 AU). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.27 and an inclination of 4° with respect to the ecliptic. [2]
2006 VW 139 is a non-family asteroid of the main-belt's background population. [9] It is both a binary asteroid and a main-belt comet, also known as "active asteroid".It orbits the Sun in the outer main-belt at a distance of 2.4–3.7 AU once every 5 years and 4 months (1,944 days; semi-major axis of 3.05 AU).
An asteroid for which there is some possibility of a collision with Earth at a future date and which is above a certain size is classified as a potentially hazardous asteroid (PHA). Specifically, an asteroid is a PHA if its Earth minimum orbital intersection distance (MOID) is <0.05 AU and its absolute magnitude is 22 or brighter. [2]
Cincinnati orbits the Sun in the outermost asteroid belt at a distance of 2.3–4.5 AU once every 6 years and 4 months (2,311 days; semi-major axis of 3.42 AU). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.31 and an inclination of 39° with respect to the ecliptic. [2]