Asteroids are classified into three categories: C-type, S-type, and L-type/X-type. The asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter contains more densities of asteroids than anywhere else in the solar system. Comets are made of organic compounds and reflect only 3-5% of incoming light. The high carbon content of asteroids and comets could be useful for future space colonization efforts.
There are several types of asteroid classification systems in use, making classification and referencing somewhat confusing, even for astronomers. A basic scheme common to all systems includes three categories: carbonaceous, known as C-type, which makes up 85% of known asteroids, siliceous or stony, S-type, which makes up 17% of known asteroids, and metallic, called the L-type or the X-type, which make up the rest of the 8% of known asteroids. These types are usually divided into various subdivisions based on spectral classification, albedo, and assumptions about their composition. Some special categorization types, such as Q, R, and V types, are so rare that they are represented by only one asteroid.
As of June 4, 2007, 376,537 asteroids and minor planets have been recorded, with a discovery rate of approximately 5,000 new bodies per month. It is estimated that there are between 1.1 and 1.9 million asteroids with a diameter greater than 1 km in the solar system, and many billions with a diameter greater than 10 m. Despite its depictions in fiction, the asteroid belt between the orbit of Mars and Jupiter isn’t extremely dense—it just contains more densities of asteroids than anywhere else in the solar system. Imagine a body only 1/1000 the size of Earth broken into small pieces and scattered across a huge area slightly larger than the Martian orbit. This is the asteroid belt. Because of the way bodies in the Solar System gravitationally interact, this region is a “sweet spot” where debris can end up.
Comets, despite their reputation as luminous bodies, are actually among the darkest objects in the solar system, reflecting only 3% – 5% of incoming light. By comparison, asphalt reflects 7% of light. This darkness comes from the organic compounds that comets are made of: long chains of carbon-containing molecules, such as hydrocarbons. Imagine a ball of material similar to oil or coal. Comets also contain large amounts of ice and dust. For most of their careers, comets are pitch black—it’s only when they get very close to the Sun that their magnificent ion tails are unfurled. Most comets have highly elliptical orbits, approaching the Sun for only a few months and spending hundreds or thousands of years in the deep solar system.
The high carbon content of asteroids and comets could come in handy for future space colonization efforts. In the future, asteroids could be disassembled and processed to create molecular raw materials for gardens in space colonies. However, the nitrogen would still have to come from planets or moons.
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