Page 32 - DK Children's Encyclopedia
P. 32
Asteroids SEE ALSO
▸ ▸ Gravity p.125
▸ ▸ Metals p.162
Asteroids are rocky or metallic objects that travel ▸ ▸ Meteorites
around the sun. They formed at the same time as the p.164
planets. Most asteroids are covered in craters, or dents, ▸ ▸ Rocks and
from where they have smashed into each other. minerals p.214
▸ ▸ Solar system
p.233
The craters on an asteroid’s
Asteroid shapes surface are made by bumping
into smaller asteroids.
Most asteroids have uneven shapes,
but the biggest asteroids are round. The asteroid
The biggest asteroids are also called Toutatis is
dwarf planets. 3 miles
(5 km) long.
Scientists think Toutatis is
made of two separate pieces It takes Toutatis
held together by gravity. four years to travel
around the sun.
Asteroid mining
Scientists think that in the future
people will mine asteroids for their
metals, minerals, and water. Spaceships
Venus The main belt may stop off on asteroids as they
Mercury Most asteroids travel travel around the solar system.
around the sun in the
Mars “main belt” between
Sun Mars and Jupiter.
Earth There are millions
of asteroids in this
belt, but they are
very far apart.
The asteroid belt
Jupiter
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