Search results
Results From The WOW.Com Content Network
Barring detailed mass determinations, [4] the mass can be estimated from the diameter and assumed density values worked out as below. = Besides these estimations, masses can be obtained for the larger asteroids by solving for the perturbations they cause in each other's orbits, [5] or when the asteroid has an orbiting companion of known orbital radius.
The telescope can then look back towards Earth from the same direction as the Sun, and any asteroids closer to Earth than the telescope will then be in opposition, and much better illuminated. There is a point between the Earth and Sun where the gravities of the two bodies are perfectly in balance, called the Sun-Earth L1 Lagrange point (SEL1).
Mass and volume allow the derivation of the bulk density, whose uncertainty is usually dominated by the errors made on the volume estimate. The internal porosity of asteroids can be inferred by comparing their bulk density with that of their assumed meteorite analogues, dark asteroids seem to be more porous (>40%) than bright ones.
This article includes a list of the most massive known objects of the Solar System and partial lists of smaller objects by observed mean radius. These lists can be sorted according to an object's radius and mass and, for the most massive objects, volume, density, and surface gravity, if these values are available.
The main goals of the project were to search for undiscovered asteroids in order to protect the planet by locating potentially harmful near-Earth asteroids, locate targets for future asteroid mining, study the solar system, and study the potential uses and advantages of crowdsourcing of astronomical data analysis.
Orbit determination has a long history, beginning with the prehistoric discovery of the planets and subsequent attempts to predict their motions. Johannes Kepler used Tycho Brahe's careful observations of Mars to deduce the elliptical shape of its orbit and its orientation in space, deriving his three laws of planetary motion in the process.
Asteroids are composed of many different minerals and some are held together more loosely. “If you want to win a game of tennis, you have to know all the strokes,” Moore said. Show comments
Approximately 8% of known main belt asteroids are similar in composition to 16 Psyche. [10] [11] One company, Planetary Resources, is already aiming to develop technologies with the goal of using them to mine asteroids. Planetary Resources estimates some 30-meter long asteroids to contain as much as $25 to $50 billion worth of platinum. [12]