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Q105 (IAS/1998) Science & Technology › Space & Defence Technology › Orbital mechanics and orbits Answer Verified

Consider the following statements regarding asteroids : I. Asteroids are rocky debris of varying sizes orbiting the Sun. II. Most of the asteroids are small but some have diameter as large as 1000 km. III. The orbit of asteroids lies between the orbits of Jupiter and Saturn. Of these statements :

Result
Your answer: —  Â·  Correct: C
Explanation

Statement I is correct: asteroids are rocky and metallic remnants that orbit the Sun and are concentrated in a zone (the main asteroid belt) between Mars and Jupiter [1]. Statement II is correct: while most asteroids are small, some are hundreds of kilometres across — the largest, Ceres, has an effective diameter of about 940 km (≈1,000 km) supporting the claim that some reach ~1,000 km in size [1]. Statement III is incorrect: authoritative descriptions place the primary asteroid population between Mars and Jupiter, not between Jupiter and Saturn; a contrary assertion appears in one snippet but conflicts with standard descriptions of the main belt location [1].

Sources

  1. [1] Physical Geography by PMF IAS, Manjunath Thamminidi, PMF IAS (1st ed.) > Chapter 2: The Solar System > Asteroid Belt > p. 32
  2. [2] https://www.britannica.com/place/Ceres-dwarf-planet
  3. [3] Physical Geography by PMF IAS, Manjunath Thamminidi, PMF IAS (1st ed.) > Chapter 2: The Solar System > UPSC Prelims 1998] Consider the following statements regarding asteroids: > p. 33
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