system maps, scale, and such

[geoschmo]

From this plot chart it appears the asteroid belt is a solid sheet of green, but that obviously is a trick of the scale of the image. There is an absolute minimum pixel size that can be displayed on a computer monitor, and a somewhat smaller absulute minimum size dot that is visible to the human eye. A chart with scale size dots representing the asteroids would have to be tremendously larger than what will fit on a computer screen, and would make obvious how much empty space there is between the asteroids.

There is a representation of the solar system at my local natural history museum, as there probably is one at yours. The earth in it is about the size of an avegage frozen pea. Even at this scale it is not possible to fit the entire system into the building, but they have a map of the county that shows the location of where the outer planets would have to be positioned to be to scale. At that scale most of the asteroids would be invisible without a microscope.

That being said the area the asteroids cover is a tremendous one, and the toal mass of the rocks is quite large. I am sure it would make a quite decent size planet if it were collected into one body the way the rest of the planets did.

Geoschmo

[capnq]

I am sure it would make a quite decent size planet if it were collected into one body the way the rest of the planets did.

Actually, I've heard that the combined mass of all the asteroids is less than Pluto.

There's a reference in the novel 2001: A Space Oddyssey that on average, the asteroid "belt" has one rock per 1000000 mile cube of space (10^18 cubic miles).

[henk brouwer]

Originally posted by geoschmo:


That being said the area the asteroids cover is a tremendous one, and the toal mass of the rocks is quite large. I am sure it would make a quite decent size planet if it were collected into one body the way the rest of the planets did.

Geoschmo

Actually it wouldn't. The total mass isn't very impressive, all the asteroids together would make an object that's smaller than the earths moon ( http://www.seds.org/billa/tnp/asteroids.html ) The earths moon is quite large though, for a moon at least (larger than Pluto for example).

Edit: aaaaargh I'm typing to slow, Capnq beat me with his post...

[ July 31, 2002, 19:59: Message edited by: henk brouwer ]

[Puke]

right, i didnt mean to suggest that there was a solid sheet of rock out there. if you zoom in on the image, you can see the individual objects.

i recal a bit from an old astronomy class that if the sun was the size of a basketball, the earth would be about the size of the head of a pin. the professor then explained that if the sun was "here" that the earth would be (pointing out the window and across the football field) "over there"

indeed, if you look at the orbital distances as Elowan suggests, it is clear that there is a vast amount of empty space out there. which reminds me of another slashdot story a while back. we have known for quite some time that well over 99.9% of matter is empty space, or 'nothing'

now recent discoveries about sub atomic particles has revealed that most of the Last .1 percent of matter is nothing as well. i suspect we will keep on going indefinitly, untill we realize that this whole universe and reality business is all made up. imaginary, that is. a work of fiction, as it were.

[capnq]

aaaaargh I'm typing to slow, Capnq beat me with his post

<does victory dance>

That has happened to me so many times, it's hard to believe someone can type slower than I do.

[ July 31, 2002, 20:51: Message edited by: capnq ]

[geoschmo]

I stand corrected on the total mass of the asteroids. Although as with everything else it is relative. Even a planet the size of Pluto would fit a loose definition of "decently sized" when compared to even a large asteroid.

Geo

[Baron Munchausen]

I think the speculation at this time is that Jupiter actually disrupted the formation of the planet in the region of the asteroid belt because if its sheer size. A lot of the asteroids from the belt were 'redirected' to the two 'Trojan' Groups, for example. Many of the early asteroids were apparently ejected from the Solar system completely. But this effect of Jupiter is probably what made life possible on earth. By ejecting so many asteroids from the Solar system it has reduced the number of hits we have had to suffer here and made relatively stable evolution possible.

[ July 31, 2002, 21:25: Message edited by: Baron Munchausen ]