The asteroid belt disappears

Between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, an area is located in the form of a ring called the asteroid belt, the home of the vast majority of space rocks in our solar system. The asteroid belt is ancient as the solar system itself, as it is a residue material that it failed to assemble in a full -growing planet due to the impact of the gravity of Jupiter.

Over the past 4.6 billion years, Jupiter has continued to form asteroid belt through the echo of gravity – the areas where the asteroid is in line with Jupiter, Saturn or Mars. This can float on the asteroid towards the inner solar system or outside towards Jupiter’s orbit. Meanwhile, those who do not constantly flee collide with other asteroids in the belt, and are gradually crushed in dust. As such, the asteroid belt disappears slowly.

In a new study that has not yet been subject to a review of the peer, researchers led by planetary scientist Julio Fernadies of the University of Diplika in Uruguay lead the drain rate of drainage. The results currently available on Preprint server ArxivIt is noteworthy that the active part of the asteroid belt loses about 0.0088 % of its mass every million years.

Very slow work

The active part of the belt refers to small asteroids enough to participate in repeated collisions and dynamic report – everything except for large primitive bodies such as CERES, Vesta and Pallas. A loss of 0.0088 % in a million years may not look much, but on the river, he adds.

Fernandez and his colleagues estimate that 3.5 billion years ago, the asteroid belt may have a 50 % larger mass, with a loss rate of twice what it is today. This estimate is well associated with a more intense impact rate that is reflected in the Earth and the geological records of the moon, according to researchers.

Where does the lost asteroids end? Well, according to the researchers’ accounts, about 20 % escapes space, sometimes they cross the Earth’s orbit and even decrease across Jona as elegance. Other 80 % reach the Earth in the Nepalese dust that is nominated in the projections-a thick dust cloud in the form of a pie that revolves around the sun inside the inner solar system.

Will the asteroid belt completely disappear?

Previous search estimated The joint mass of all asteroids in the belt today is approximately 3 % of the moon block. However, it will take many years for the belt completely disappear by slope and dynamic description alone. The death of the sun – which was identified within about 5 billion years – will destroy it closer.

This study provides an answer to a more important question: At what rate is the asteroid belt in taking out space rocks that can affect the Earth? In addition, by extrapolating the dynamic expulsion rate in time, researchers provide data that can help scientists to understand the date of the surface of the planet better.