Asteroids appear to be a perfect example of mathematics’ progressive evolution. Mathematicians determined what to look for and where to look while astronomers scoured the night sky, randomly fixing both planets and stars and calculating their interactions and orbits. Already after the discovery of some small planets, it was discovered that some of them can be seen with the naked eye. The first asteroid was completely discovered by accident. Here’s complete article on Interesting Facts About Asteroids:
Gradually, methodical research has led to the discovery of hundreds of thousands of asteroids, this number is increasing tens of thousands a year. More or less comparable to terrestrial objects – compared to other celestial bodies – the sizes allow us to think about the industrial exploitation of asteroids. Several interesting facts are related to the discovery, further study and possible development of these celestial bodies.
Rule of Titius-Bode
According to the Rule of Titius-Bode that prevailed in astronomy in the 18th century, there should be a planet between Mars and Jupiter. Since 1789, 24 astronomers led by German Franz Xaver have conducted a coordinated search for this planet. And the Italian Giuseppe Piazzi, who was fortunate enough to find the first asteroid, grinned at him. Not only was he not part of Xavier’s group, but he was also not looking for anything between Mars and Jupiter. Piazzi discovered Ceres in early 1801. Giuseppe Piazzi embarrassed the theorists
Asteroids are more than 30 m in diameter
There are no fundamental differences between meteoroids and asteroids. It turns out that asteroids are more than 30 m in diameter (although most small asteroids are far from spherical) and meteoroids are smaller. However, not all scientists agree with number 30. And a little tour: the meteoroid flies in space. When it falls to Earth, it becomes a meteorite, and the light trail of its passage through the atmosphere is called a meteor. The fall of a meteorite or asteroid of decent diameter on Earth will surely eliminate all definitions along with humanity.
Combined mass of all asteroids
It is estimated that the combined mass of all asteroids between the Moon and Mars is 4% of the mass of the Moon.
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First stakhanovita of astronomy
Max Wolf can be assumed the first stakhanovita of astronomy. He was the first to photograph parts of the starry sky and discovered alone about 250 asteroids. By that time (1891), the entire astronomical community had discovered about 300 similar objects.
Named by Charles Burney
The word “asteroid” was coined by the English composer Charles Burney, whose main musical achievement is considered “The History of World Music” in four volumes.
The largest asteroid
Until 2006, Ceres was the largest asteroid, but the next General Assembly of the International Astronomical Union raised its class to a dwarf planet. The company of this class is Ceres, demoted from the planets Pluto, as well as Eris, Makemake and Haumea, also located beyond Neptune’s orbit. So, for formal reasons, Ceres is no longer an asteroid, but the dwarf planet closest to the Sun.
Asteroids enjoy separate work holidays.
Which is celebrated on June 30. Among the initiators of his establishment is Queen Guitarist Brian May, an international Ph.D. in astronomy research.
Water in asteroids
The beautiful legend about the planet Phaeton, torn apart by the attraction of Mars and Jupiter, is not recognized by science. According to the generally accepted version, Jupiter’s attraction simply did not allow Phaethon to form, absorbing most of its mass. But in some asteroids was found water, more precisely, ice, and in some others, organic molecules. They couldn’t originate from such tiny objects on their own.
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Asteroid Belt reality
Cinema has taught us that the Asteroid Belt is something like Moscow’s rush-hour ring road. In fact, the asteroids in the belt are separated by millions of miles and are not on the same plane.
Soil samples from the asteroid
On June 13, 2010, the Japanese spacecraft Hayabusa delivered soil samples from the asteroid Itokawa to Earth. Assumptions about large amounts of metals in asteroids did not materialize – about 30% of iron was found in the samples. The Hayabusa-2 spacecraft is expected to arrive on Earth in 2020. Did you do your homework? Yes 48.61% No 28.52% No and will not 15.11% nothing asked 7.76% Voted: 163015
Development of asteroids
Even the extraction of only one iron – with the proper technology – will commercially enable the development of asteroids. In the earth’s crust, the iron ore content does not exceed 10%.
Heavy metals in asteroids
The extraction of rare earth elements and heavy metals in asteroids promises fabulous profits. All that humanity is currently mining on Earth is just the remnants of the planet’s bombardment by meteorites and asteroids. The metals that were originally present on the planet have been melting at its core for a long time, sinking into it due to its specific gravity.
Plans for colonization in asteroids
There are even plans for colonization and primary processing of raw materials in asteroids. The most daring of them even predict to tow an asteroid to an orbit closer to Earth and provide almost pure metals to the planet’s surface. Difficulties in the form of low gravity, the need to create an artificial atmosphere and the cost of transporting finished products remain insurmountable.
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Division of asteroids
There has been a division of asteroids into carbon, silicon and metal, but studies have shown that the composition of the vast majority of asteroids is mixed.
Dinosaurs extinction caused by asteroids
Dinosaurs are likely to have been extinct as a result of climate change caused by the impact of an asteroid. This collision could lift billions of tons of dust into the air, change the climate and deprive the food giants.
Four classes of asteroids
Four classes of asteroids have rotated in dangerous orbits to Earth so far. These classes are traditionally named with words beginning with “a”, named after Amur, the first of which was discovered in 1932. The closest distance from the observed asteroids of these earth classes was measured by tens of thousands of kilometers.
Special resolution of the U.S. Congress
A special resolution of the U.S. Congress in 2005 ordered NASA to identify 90% of near-Earth asteroids with a diameter greater than 140 meters. The task should be completed by 2020. So far, about 5,000 objects of this size and danger have been discovered.
Dangerous asteroid
To assess the danger of asteroids, the Turin scale is used, according to which asteroids receive a score from 0 to 10. Zero means no danger, ten is a guaranteed collision that can destroy civilization. The maximum rating assigned – 4 – was received by Apophis in 2006. However, the classification was later reduced to zero. No dangerous asteroid is expected in 2018.
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Programs to study the possibilities of asteroid attacks
There are programs in several countries to study the theoretical possibilities of repelling asteroid attacks from space, but their content resembles science fiction ideas. As a means of fighting dangerous asteroids, they are considered a nuclear explosion, a collision with an artificial object of comparable mass, trailer, solar energy and even an electromagnetic catapult.
Asteroid Asclepius discovery
On March 31, 1989, officials at the Palomar Observatory in the U.S. discovered the asteroid Asclepius with a diameter of about 600 meters. There is nothing special about the discovery, except that nine days before the discovery, Asclepius missed the Earth for less than six hours.