So far, we know of nine planets in our solar system. Some astronomers think that there may be a tenth planet beyond the orbit of Pluto, the farthest known planet from the sun. And others think there was once a tenth planet that doesn’t exist anymore!
The space between Mars, the fourth planet from the sun, and Jupiter, the fifth planet, is filled with thousands of asteroids, small rocky bodies that revolve around the sun. The biggest asteroid is about 600 miles across, but most are less than a mile in diameter.
Some astronomers believe that these asteroids may be all that’s left of a planet that exploded millions or billions of years ago. But these asteroids may also be just pieces of space dust that never formed into a planet.
The orbit of one asteroid occasionally brings it “only” 485,000 miles away from earth!
Related Posts
-
Where does the term cat-o’-nine-tails come from and What does cat-o’-nine-tails mean?
In this day it seems amazing that the cat-o'-nine-tails instrument of punishment was actually authorized in the British Navy until as recently as 1881. It came into use in the late seventeenth century,…
-
What Are the Outer Planets, What Are The Names of the Outer Planets, and Where Are the Outer Planets Located?
The planets that orbit the Sun beyond the asteroid belt in our solar system are known as the outer planets. Besides their location, they share many other similarities, except for Pluto, which is…
-
What Does the Expression “The Whole Nine Yards” Mean and How Did the Phrase Originate?
During the South Pacific action of the Second World War, American fighter planes' machine guns were armed on the ground with .50 calibre ammunition belts. The belts measured exactly twenty-seven feet, or nine…
-
How did the Expression “Possession is Nine-Tenths of the Law” Originate and What does it Mean?
The expression "possession is nine-tenths of the law" is from the eighteenth century. The old adage means that in the pursuit of justice possession in a dispute over property outweighs these nine other…
-
What Does the Expression “Seventh Heaven” Mean and How Did the Phrase “Cloud Nine” Originate?
The ancient Jews believed that the highest heaven, or "heaven of heavens," and the home of God and his chosen angels was the seventh heaven. The Muslims agreed that the seventh heaven was…
-
Who were the Little Rock Nine and How was the Little Rock Crisis important in the African American Civil Rights Movement?
In September 1957, nine black teenagers, Jefferson Thomas, Carlotta Walls, Gloria Ray, Elizabeth Eckford, Thelma Mothershed, Melba Pattillo, Terrance Roberts, Minniejean Brown, and Ernest Green, tried to enroll at Central High School, an…
