Asteroids and Proto-planets
December 23rd 2009 03:46
Asteroids and proto-planet's the difference may seem a little confusing since the reclassification of Pluto’s status as a planet has been demoted to dwarf planet. There are a few significant large asteroids orbiting between the orbit of Jupiter and Mars.
The biggest asteroid is Ceres with a diameter of 950 km second-largest asteroid is Pallas. Pallas diameter is around 560 km. The status has now been changed from asteroid to proto-planet meaning that any asteroid measuring 265 km in diameter is now classed as a proto-planet rather than asteroid. Thankfully these asteroids are not considered to be earth Crossing asteroids.
But where not out of the woods yet, there is an estimated 10,000 100,000 undiscovered asteroids that are crossing Earth's orbit.
Currently the Solar system has a tenth planet that has a larger diameter than Pluto. The planet's temporary name is 2003 UB313 its distance is well beyond the orbit of Pluto. Telescopes have not yet revealed the planet's disk. To estimate how big it may be.
There is strong evidence that the just after the birth of the solar system early earth was struck by a Mars size planet that disintegrated some of the pieces later became our moon.
A proto-planet is described as being a small embryo undergoing tremendous changes in the structure and consistency slowly becoming more like a small planet in early infancy.
When looking through a telescope at these proto-planet's they look like very small planet like objects. These objects may become planets in their own right in time. But for now they have the distinction of being somewhat in between an asteroid undergoing planetary formation.
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The biggest asteroid is Ceres with a diameter of 950 km second-largest asteroid is Pallas. Pallas diameter is around 560 km. The status has now been changed from asteroid to proto-planet meaning that any asteroid measuring 265 km in diameter is now classed as a proto-planet rather than asteroid. Thankfully these asteroids are not considered to be earth Crossing asteroids.
Pallas Hubble image
But where not out of the woods yet, there is an estimated 10,000 100,000 undiscovered asteroids that are crossing Earth's orbit.
Currently the Solar system has a tenth planet that has a larger diameter than Pluto. The planet's temporary name is 2003 UB313 its distance is well beyond the orbit of Pluto. Telescopes have not yet revealed the planet's disk. To estimate how big it may be.
There is strong evidence that the just after the birth of the solar system early earth was struck by a Mars size planet that disintegrated some of the pieces later became our moon.
A proto-planet is described as being a small embryo undergoing tremendous changes in the structure and consistency slowly becoming more like a small planet in early infancy.
When looking through a telescope at these proto-planet's they look like very small planet like objects. These objects may become planets in their own right in time. But for now they have the distinction of being somewhat in between an asteroid undergoing planetary formation.
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