Kirkwood gap facts for kids
Kirkwood gaps are areas of the asteroid belt where there are fewer asteroids than there would usually be, as seen in the graph on the right. They are caused by orbital resonances with Jupiter.
The gaps were first noticed in 1857 by Daniel Kirkwood, who also correctly explained their origin in the orbital resonances with Jupiter while a professor at Jefferson College in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania.
Images for kids
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A plot of inner solar system asteroids and planets as of 2006 May 9, in a manner that exposes the Kirkwood gaps. Similar to the position plot, planets (with trajectories) are orange, Jupiter being the outer most in this view. Various asteroid classes are colour coded: 'generic' main-belt asteroids are white. Inside the main belt, we have the Atens (red), Apollos (green), and Amors (blue). Outside the main belt are the Hildas (blue) and the Trojans (green). All object position vectors have been normalized to the length of the object's semi-major axis. The Kirkwood gaps are visible in the main belt.
See also
In Spanish: Huecos de Kirkwood para niños
