What are asteroids and why do they come so frighteningly close to Earth? NASA tells us
Last week, we witnessed the largest asteroid of the year 2022 make its way very near Earth and then fly past. The Earth is approached by an asteroid almost every other week. In fact, there are around 20,000 asteroids that cross the path of the Earth at some point. The world of asteroids is a curious one but we never really delve deep into it. But as we hear more and more about these asteroids, some very basic questions need to be answered. And who better to help us understand these space rocks than NASA itself. So, let us find out what are asteroids and why are there so many of them and what brings them frighteningly close to Earth. Also read: What is a meteor shower, and the difference between meteor, meteoroid and meteorite? NASA replies
According to NASA, asteroids, which are also called minor planets, are rocky, airless remnants left over from the early formation of our solar system about 4.6 billion years ago. Asteroids revolve around the Sun just like the planets and that is why they are referred to as minor planets. Some of the well known asteroids include Ceres, Vesta, Pallas, Hygiea, Europa, Davia, Sylvia and others.
As mentioned above, asteroids are early formations of our solar system. As per our present knowledge, asteroids are formed through two different processes. First, the large amount of dust particles in the universe can often come together and due to high gravity zones they stick together creating rocky structures. Second, early asteroids often hit different planets and moons and would chip away parts of the planet. These broken fragments would become asteroids too. Also read: Shocking! A supermassive black hole is lurking within our Galaxy, says NASA
The asteroid belt is a region of space between the
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