Recently, scientists have found a relatively poor section of the main asteroid belt, where several instances reside. They are believed to have survived since the formation of our system. Researchers used the new technique, which also helped to identify the oldest asteroid group.
The main belt contains many irregularly shaped asteroids — planetesimals. With the development of technology, it is possible to find smaller and more distant stones. Most likely, these objects represent the remainder of the large ancient asteroids. The study of such a family will help to understand the history of the entire belt.
Understanding the families, you can understand which asteroids were formed during the collision, and which were original. Identifying the oldest families is extremely difficult, because over time they change. Asteroids travel along their orbital path, periodically heating and cooling. In such a process, radiation is generated, protruding a mini-engine, pushing the stones forward. New technology has helped to reach the extreme scattered groups, located farthest. Do not forget that small fragments have greater speed of movement.
The group found does not yet have a name and it is not clear which particular asteroid became their parent. The objects are old and formed about 4 billion years ago. At that time, the gas giants had not yet occupied their current orbits. Scientists plan to carefully examine the entire belt in order to find the original body and created by shock.
