asteroid
Let an agent handle asteroids by designation, orbit, size and composition, including near-Earth objects and impact risk, with official sources.
Research draft, second pass
A second pass drafted this model: the structure a model of this thing needs, and what is known about it in the world. The line under this one says how the second half was obtained - researched against sources, or recalled without web access, in which case nothing here was read anywhere and every claim is a lead to verify. Unreviewed either way.
written by Claude from model knowledge without web access - no source was read, every claim is a lead to verify
Researched by: Claude
Purpose and description
Let an agent handle asteroids by designation, orbit, size and composition, including near-Earth objects and impact risk, with official sources.
A small rocky or metallic body orbiting the Sun, mostly in the main belt between Mars and Jupiter, and also as trojans and near-Earth objects, too small to be a planet and lacking a comet coma.
What it is for: Asteroids record the early Solar System, pose impact risks and are targets for exploration.
It can be discover and designate it, through the Minor Planet Center; track its orbit; assess impact risk; explore it, with spacecraft and sample returns.
Distinguishing features
Small Solar System body without a coma
Most in the main belt
Trojans share a planet orbit at Lagrange points
Near-Earth asteroids are monitored for impact risk
What it looks like
Points of light moving against the stars in telescopes; up close, irregular cratered bodies or rubble piles.
Physical character
diameter: metres to 940 km - Ceres, now a dwarf planet, is largest
known objects: over 1.4 million objects
How it is recognised
Motion against background stars
Designations such as 433 Eros or 2024 YR4
No coma or tail, unlike comets
Related models
is a kind of - small body
orbits - the Sun
is confused with - comets have comae
is monitored by - impact risk
In practice
Families and kinds
main-belt asteroids
near-Earth asteroids: Atira, Aten, Apollo, Amor
trojans of various planets
by composition: C-type, S-type, M-type
Identifiers
MPC number and name number plus name numbered minor planets
provisional designation year plus letters new discoveries
Standards and regulation
IAU and Minor Planet Center naming rules
Torino and Palermo impact hazard scales
Outer Space Treaty on resource use
Failure modes and hazards
Impacts, rare but potentially severe
Alarmist reporting of low-probability risks
Confusing provisional and permanent designations
Also called
+7
Where this came from
wikidata · CC0 1.0
Also registered as vr.tr.asteroid
Drafted structure
Bundle to layer to finding to question, as the second pass will find it: 4 bundles · 8 layers · 8 findings · 16 questions.
Identity Which asteroid.
Designations change from provisional to numbered.
Designation
Number and name.
Designation
Designation and name.
- What is its designation and name? provenance
- Is it provisional? boundary
Class
Orbital and compositional class.
Class
The classes.
- Which orbital group does it belong to? definition
- What is its spectral type? definition
Orbit Where it goes.
Orbit decides risk and access.
Orbital elements
Path.
Orbit
Orbital elements.
- What are its orbital elements and their uncertainty? measurement
- When is its next close approach? measurement
Impact risk
Probability.
Risk rating
Risk rating.
- What is its impact probability and Torino rating, from which source? provenance
- How should that be communicated without alarm? action
Physical Size and composition.
Physical properties decide effects and value.
Size
Diameter and mass.
Size
Size estimate.
- How large is it, and how was that estimated? measurement
- What is its rotation period? measurement
Composition
Rock, metal, carbon.
Composition
Composition.
- What is it made of? measurement
- Is it a rubble pile? definition
Exploration Missions.
Missions have visited and sampled asteroids.
Missions
Visits and samples.
Missions
Missions to it.
- Has any mission visited it? provenance
- What did it find? provenance
Planetary defence
Deflection.
Defence
Deflection tests.
- Has deflection been tested on it or similar bodies? provenance
- Who coordinates response? provenance
What the second pass must settle
- Should asteroids be instances with MPC designations?
- How should impact risk be communicated?
- How should resource claims be represented?