Space rocks in the solar system can be classified into many types, such as asteroids, comets, meteorites, meteorites and others. What are these space objects? Why do astronomers give these rocks different names?
The solar system has various space objects orbiting the sun in addition to the planets we already know and is full of space rocks that look like bumpy dirt roads. It also moves in circles around the sun. Astronomers are trying to learn more about these space rocks. Hoping to find some answers and this may lead to a hint of the emergence of life on the planet we call Earth, or perhaps it is just a hypothesis that did not happen in reality.
Asteroids are groups of rocks or rocks that have no atmosphere. Birth is due to the formation of the solar system. They range from the size of a car to the size of a large city.
Asteroids contain a variety of elements, such as the mineral carbon, which gives them their coal-black clumps. Some stars are a collection of rubble. Which are pulled together freely by their gravity or it can be a single large rock.
The location of asteroids in the solar system is located in an area called the asteroid belt, which rotates between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, which includes hundreds of thousands of stars, or perhaps millions of stars.
Asteroids (and comets) have different orbits. It has been shown that some space rocks have orbits close to Earth, called near-Earth objects, or NEOs. Scientists on Earth are trying to find a system to track these space objects before they collide with Earth. Currently, these systems are supported by the Space Action Unit from many countries to determine whether there are risks. On the world or not.
More recently, in August 2023, an asteroid impact warning system was established in Chile. Sponsored by NASA and developed by the University of Hawaii, a space rock has been discovered. It is about 183 meters long, and its orbit is directed towards Earth. But from current information, there is still no chance of it colliding with Earth. Because when calculating the orbital direction, the position closest to Earth and the space rock’s orbit is still about 230,000 kilometers from Earth.
In the study of the universe, asteroids are like a repository of information from the early solar system, and astronomers have also proposed a hypothesis: Could the asteroid belt be a source of organic materials important for the emergence of life on Earth?
The next known type of space rock is a comet.
Comets are like blocks of ice that orbit the sun. Every comet has a center called the nucleus. Compressed gas with debris and dust When the comet’s orbit approaches the Sun, the comet heats up and spews out dust and gas. It is shaped like a giant glowing ball with a tail extending in the opposite direction from the sun
Currently, astronomers do not know the exact number of comets in the solar system. But it is estimated that there should be approximately 3,535 stars, and all comets have composition characteristics similar to asteroids. They are leftovers from the formation of the solar system, and therefore scientists believe that comets contain information that can help solve the mystery of the origin of the universe.
One of the most frequently mentioned types of space rocks in the media are meteorites. They are made of rock fragments ejected from asteroids, comets, and planets in the solar system. Meteorites are the smallest types of space rocks. This usually does not have a serious impact on our planet. But we can see them when meteors pass through the Earth’s atmosphere in the form of meteors and meteor showers.
On October 21, 2023, news agencies in many countries presented content inviting the public to come out and watch. The “orionic meteor shower” is a trace of Comet Halley’s orbit behind the sun in 1986 and leaving behind large amounts of dust and small space rocks in its orbit.
In human history, some space rocks have fallen to Earth in abundance. Some are so large that they cause changes in the world’s ecosystems. Some were just small stones. This had no effect at all, however, astronomers from around the world continue to study the space rock further. To understand the solar system and sometimes they can get some hints from these space rock samples. Which could explain the origins of our world
Researched and collected Naphatthanai
Reference information
https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/edu/learn/slideshow/whats-that-space-rock/
https://science.nasa.gov/solar-system/10-things-whats-that-space-rock/
https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/9meteor/
https://www.thaipbs.or.th/now/content/239
https://www.thairath.co.th/news/society/2734580
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