The main asteroid belt in our Solar System is situated between the orbits of which two planets?
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: D. Mars and Jupiter
- Step 1: The asteroid belt occupies a circumstellar disc between approximately 2.2 and 3.2 Astronomical Units (AU) from the Sun.
- Step 2: Gravitational perturbations from massive Jupiter prevented planetesimals in this region from accreting into a single protoplanet, leaving millions of rocky fragments including the dwarf planet Ceres.
Answer
Mars and Jupiter
Why not the others: 'Earth and Mars' The orbital space between Earth and Mars contains near-Earth asteroids, not the main asteroid belt; 'Jupiter and Saturn' The region between Jupiter and Saturn contains Trojan and Centaur asteroids, not the main belt; 'Venus and Earth' The space between Venus and Earth contains inner solar system orbital paths, not the main asteroid belt.
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