Asteroid Belt Simulation

About Asteroid Belts

The Solar System's Asteroid Belt

The main asteroid belt in our solar system is located between Mars and Jupiter, approximately 2.2 to 3.2 astronomical units (AU) from the Sun.

Live orbital simulation (not to scale)

The gravitational influence of Jupiter prevented these objects from forming a planet during the solar system's formation about 4.6 billion years ago.

Asteroid Composition

Asteroids are classified into different types based on their composition:

C-type: 75%

S-type: 17%

M-type: 8%

C-type (carbonaceous): Dark, carbon-rich, most common type
S-type (silicaceous): Silicate materials and nickel-iron
M-type (metallic): Mostly nickel-iron

Live Asteroid Data

Known Asteroids

1,113,527

Largest Asteroid

Ceres

940 km diameter

Total Belt Mass

3.0 × 10²¹ kg

≈ 4% of Moon's mass

About This Simulation

This simulation demonstrates the basic orbital mechanics of an asteroid belt. In reality:

Asteroids follow elliptical, not perfectly circular orbits
Their orbital planes are more varied than shown here
The size distribution follows a power law (many more small asteroids than large ones)
Asteroids occasionally collide, creating families of fragments with similar orbits

The simulation uses simplified physics to balance scientific accuracy with visual appeal and performance. The orbital mechanics follow Kepler's laws of planetary motion, with each asteroid moving faster when closer to the central star.