Asteroids are classified by their average distance from the Sun. Belt Asteroids

Question

Asteroids are classified by their average distance from the Sun. Belt Asteroids orbit in the asteroid belt; Trojan Asteroids orbit at the same distance as Jupiter; Near-Earth or Earth Approaching asteroids have orbits that bring them near the Earth. To determine what kind of asteroid the 1992JB is, the easiest way is to find out how many AU it is from Earth. Previously you've discovered the asteroid 1992JB is: 43,214,834 km from Earth. How many AU is that? (1 AU = 1.4960 x 108 km, show your work in the format of (?)/(?) = ? AU) What kind of an asteroid do you think it is? Why do you think so?

Explanation / Answer

In order to know the type of asteroid that 1992JB is, we first need the distance of the asteroid from the sun.

The distance of 1992JB from Earth is 43,214,834 kilometres which is equivalent to:

(43,214,834)/(1.4960 x 108)

The distance of 1992JB from earth in AU’s is = 0.28887 AU

Now we know that the Asteroid Belt distance from the Earth can ranges from 3.2 and 4.2 AU and hence 1992BJ does not lies in the Asteroid belt.

The distance from Earth and Jupiter is 4.2 AU and therefore 1992BJ is not the part of Trojan asteroid belt.

Therefore 1992JB is the part of near Earth orbit or Earth approaching orbit as it is very near to Earth.

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