asteroid belt
Plural
asteroid belts
1
a region in the solar system located between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, populated by numerous small celestial bodies called asteroids
- The asteroid belt contains millions of asteroids ranging in size from small rocky fragments to larger bodies several hundred kilometers across.
- Scientists study the composition and movement of asteroids in the asteroid belt to understand the early formation of the solar system.
- Space missions like NASA's Dawn spacecraft have explored asteroids within the asteroid belt to gather data on their structure and composition.
- The gravitational influence of Jupiter prevents the asteroids in the asteroid belt from coalescing into a single planet.
- Some asteroids in the asteroid belt occasionally cross Earth's orbit, posing potential impact hazards that astronomers monitor closely.