Astronomers have found the smallest rocks in the main asteroid belt. What are their dimensions?

The main asteroid belt is located between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. The largest objects within it have been known for centuries, yet scientists continue to discover new, smaller celestial rocks in this region of the Solar System. Recently, astronomers have identified the smallest asteroids in the main asteroid belt. The study has been published in the journal Nature, reports IFLScience.

Astronomers have found numerous asteroids measuring up to 10 meters, which often approach Earth and sometimes even enter the atmosphere, burning up during their descent. However, locating asteroids of similar size in the main asteroid belt, situated hundreds of millions of kilometers away, is quite challenging.

The researchers utilized images obtained during the search for exoplanets to discover over a hundred of the smallest celestial rocks in the main asteroid belt. These rocks are 10 meters or smaller.

The scientists employed state-of-the-art graphics processors to analyze thousands of images of space. Initially, they utilized data from the SPECULOOS survey, as well as information from a telescope located in Antarctica. Astronomers managed to find a significant number of new asteroids in the main asteroid belt. However, their major breakthrough came while processing data from the Webb Space Telescope.

This telescope studies the cosmos in the infrared spectrum, where asteroids emit more light than they reflect from the Sun in visible wavelengths. The Webb Telescope captured over 10,000 images of the star TRAPPIST-1, located 40 light-years away, which is orbited by seven Earth-sized planets. These images are essential for examining the atmospheres of these planets, although no evidence of atmospheres has been found yet.

By analyzing the data from the Webb Telescope, astronomers initially identified eight known asteroids in the main asteroid belt, and then detected 138 new asteroids measuring 10 meters or less. Some of these may become near-Earth asteroids, as gravitational perturbations push them closer to the Sun.

According to the scientists, they anticipated finding a few new celestial rocks, but discovered far more than expected, particularly the smallest ones.

The researchers believe that smaller rocks are formed as a result of frequent collisions between asteroids measuring approximately 100 meters.