How Asteroids are Formed

I’m sure you may of heard of an asteroid before. These objects occasionally hit the Earth and leave a big crater depending on the size of the asteroid. They are sometimes called “minor planets” and there are literally millions of asteroids scattered throughout our solar system. Asteroids are presumed to be remnants of matter that did not clump during the formation of the solar system. They are composed of rock, dust, and metal. When asteroids are first formed, the metal sinks to the center forming a metal core. The lighter rocks formed layers around the core and then with cooling, the asteroid starts becoming a solid. The first asteroid to ever of been sited was in 1801 by Giuseppe Piazzi.