Chemical composition of Asteroids

Like their physical characteristics, the chemical composition of asteroids is also very varied. However, we can say that in general asteroids are composed of minerals. Some of them may even contain less common metals or chemical elements.

Types of asteroids

The different conditions during the time of their formation give rise to many types of asteroids. The main differences in the composition of asteroids are due to the distance from the Sun during the time of their formation. For this reason, this is the most widely used criterion to classify the different types of asteroids.

S-type asteroid

S-type asteroids are closer to the Sun and are mostly made of silicates. Due to the presence of this mineral, these asteroids have grayish colors.

C-type asteroid

This type of asteroid is the farthest from the Sun, and most of them are found on the outer borders of the asteroid belt. Its name is due to the fact that carbon predominates in its chemical composition, which gives it its characteristic carbon black color. They are the most abundant asteroids in the solar system.

M-type asteroid

This type of asteroid is very rare and is composed almost entirely of metals, especially nickel and iron. For this reason, M-type asteroids are usually bright.

Other types of asteroids

Some asteroids are made of rare minerals that are hard to find on Earth. However, its proportion is minimal.

Difference Between Asteroid and Meteorite

This is a very common question, although it is essentially the same object, we usually differentiate between an asteroid and a meteorite. With the first we call the rocky objects that are in orbit while, when we talk about a meteorite, we refer to the asteroid fragments that have fallen on Earth.

Just as asteroids are hard to see from Earth, it’s easier to see a meteor as it enters the atmosphere. It is what we call a shooting star and it is due to the great speed reached by the meteorite and the friction of the air when entering the Earth’s atmosphere.

Beyond the beauty of shooting stars, meteorites are very important for the study of our solar system since they give us a lot of information about the composition of asteroids and about the history of the universe.

Thus we can understand issues such as what circumstances occurred during the formation of the solar system or what its evolution has been. In this article we have explained to you what we have learned so far about asteroids and meteorites, but there is still a lot to discover!