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S-type asteroid facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

An S-type asteroid is a type of asteroid that is mostly made of rocky materials called silicates. Think of them as space rocks rich in silicon, which is why they get the "S" in their name!

These asteroids are quite common. About 17% of all known asteroids are S-types. This makes them the second most common type, right after C-type asteroids, which are usually darker and contain more carbon.

S-type asteroids are found mostly in the inner part of the main asteroid belt, which is located between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. As you go farther out into the asteroid belt, S-type asteroids become much rarer.

The largest known S-type asteroid is 15 Eunomia. It's a big space rock, measuring about 330 kilometers (205 miles) across at its widest point! Another well-known S-type asteroid is 433 Eros, which was the first asteroid ever orbited and landed on by a spacecraft.

What Are Asteroids?

Asteroids are small, rocky objects that orbit the Sun. They are much smaller than planets, but larger than meteoroids. Most asteroids in our Solar System are found in the main asteroid belt. Scientists study asteroids to learn more about the early days of our solar system, as they are like time capsules from billions of years ago.

How Do We Study S-Type Asteroids?

Scientists use powerful telescopes on Earth and in space to observe asteroids. They can figure out what an asteroid is made of by looking at the light it reflects. Different materials reflect light in different ways, creating unique "fingerprints" that tell us about their composition. For S-type asteroids, these fingerprints show a lot of silicates, like the rocks we find on Earth.

Spacecraft have also visited S-type asteroids. For example, the NEAR Shoemaker probe orbited and landed on 433 Eros, giving us close-up pictures and data about its surface and composition. This helps us understand what these rocky space objects are really like.

Images for kids

  • Eros - PIA02923 (color)

    433 Eros, an example of an S-type asteroid

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Asteroide de tipo S para niños

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