Our Busy Solar System
Explanation:
Our Solar System is a busy place.
Although the major planets get the most press, a swarm of rocks,
comets, and asteroids also exist.
The above plot shows the placement of known inner
Solar System
objects on 2002 July 20.
The light blue lines indicate the orbits of
planets.
The green dots indicate
asteroids,
officially known as
minor planets.
The red dots indicate asteroids that come within 1.3 Earth-Sun distances
(
AU) of the
Sun
and so pose an increased (although small)
collision risk with the
Earth.
Comets appear as dark blue squares, while dark blue points are
Jupiter Trojans, asteroids that orbit just ahead of, or just behind Jupiter.
Note that most
asteroids of the inner Solar System orbit between
Mars and
Jupiter in the
main asteroid belt.
Every day this plot shifts with objects nearer the Sun
typically shifting the most.
The current locations of these objects can be found
here.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
