Between the planets Mars and Jupiter lies the asteroid belt. It is home to tens of thousands of asteroids. These rocky objects are leftovers from the early Solar System, and are too small to be considered planets. They come in different shapes and sizes with the smallest being less than 1 km (0.6 miles) wide. Some asteroids have moons and one even has rings!
Asteroid orbits
Not all of the asteroids in our Solar System are found in the asteroid belt. Some asteroids pass near other planets, including Earth. Asteroids that come close to Earth are called Near Earth Objects. The planet Jupiter even shares its orbit around the Sun with two groups of asteroids, which are called Trojans.
Craters
These craters are nicknamed “Snowman” because they look just like a snowman! They are on Vesta, one of the largest asteroids in the asteroid belt.
Ceres
By far the largest object in the asteroid belt is Ceres. Made mostly of rock and ice, it was the first asteroid ever discovered. It has since been classed as a Dwarf Planet, because it is more like a planet than its neighbours in the main asteroid belt.
Picture Credit : Google