Did You Know: Space – What is the asteroid belt?
The asteroid belt is a ring of big rocks, called asteroids, that orbit the sun. It is found between the planets Mars and Jupiter. There are hundreds of thousands of asteroids in the belt, and they come in many different shapes and sizes.
Trojans
These asteroids travel around the sun in the same orbit as Jupiter. They travel in two groups—one group ahead of Jupiter and the other trailing behind it.
Dividing belt
The asteroid belt separates the four inner, rocky planets from Jupiter and the other outer planets.
What can we learn from asteroids?
Vesta
Asteroids, such as Vesta, were left over from when the solar system formed billions of years ago. Studying asteroids can help scientists understand how planets, such as the Earth, were made.
Ceres
The largest object in the asteroid belt is Ceres. It is actually a dwarf planet rather than an asteroid. On its icy surface are many craters and a big mountain.