The asteroid belt is a region of space located between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter where the majority of asteroids in our solar system are found. It contains a vast number of irregularly shaped bodies composed mostly of rock and metal.
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The asteroid belt contains millions of asteroids, but it is mostly empty space with large distances between individual objects.
Ceres, the largest object in the asteroid belt, is classified as a dwarf planet.
The total mass of the asteroid belt is estimated to be about 4% that of Earth's Moon.
Asteroids within the belt range in size from tiny dust particles to objects approximately 940 kilometers (580 miles) in diameter.
Jupiter's gravitational influence helps maintain the structure and location of the asteroid belt by preventing the material from coalescing into a planet.
A celestial body that orbits the Sun and has enough mass for its gravity to form it into an ellipsoidal shape but has not cleared its orbital path of other debris.