"Asteroids", Why so important?

On 27 June, an asteroid named 2011MD just passed near the Earth. When passed, the distance is much closer than the distance of Earth to the Moon.

Astronomers and scientists from around the world immediately observe the presence of the asteroid. How important is the asteroid to get so much attention?

"Materials on the asteroid represents a material to build a planet," said Carol Raymond, Deputy Principal Investigator of NASA, as quoted by Fox News, June 28, 2011. "Since the position of the solar system's asteroid belt is between the planets in a rocky and the outer planets are composed of gases, materials in asteroids contain clues as to why the planets are very far apart."

For example, the asteroid Vesta and the dwarf planet Ceres is formed at the same time the range of 10 million years after solar system formed. But this time, the two celestial bodies that have very different compositions.

Vesta, which had melted completely and then re-solidified is now very smooth surface. As for Ceres, showed no signs at all that he had been through the process of melting.

Chances are, Raymond says, Vesta experience more collisions with other celestial bodies, or it has shaped aluminum high-level radioactive releases heat when radioactive releases. "By studying each asteroid, scientists can solve this mystery," said Raymond.

Posted in: Techno