asteroid belt

Meanings

1. 1nounsingulartechnical

   The wide region of space between Mars and Jupiter where most of the solar system's asteroids orbit the Sun.

   Grammar: Usually used with the: the asteroid belt.

   Patterns

   • in the asteroid belt
   • the main asteroid belt

   Ceres is the largest object in the asteroid belt.

   A probe was sent to travel through the asteroid belt.

   The asteroid belt lies between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.

2. 2nouncountabletechnical

   Any similar ring of rocky bodies orbiting another star.

   Grammar: Countable when it refers to other systems: an asteroid belt around a distant star.

   Patterns

   • an asteroid belt around something

   Astronomers detected an asteroid belt around a young star.

   A debris disc may be an asteroid belt in the making.

   Some planetary systems have two asteroid belts.

Word forms

Common combinations

main asteroid belt

The main asteroid belt holds millions of rocks.

cross the asteroid belt

Spacecraft cross the asteroid belt with little risk of collision.

objects in the asteroid belt

Objects in the asteroid belt are spread out across millions of miles.

asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter

The asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter is a ring of rocky bodies.

outer asteroid belt

Few rocks in the outer asteroid belt are large.

Synonyms and how they differ

main belt

Main belt is a shorter name for the same region used in astronomy texts.

debris ring

Debris ring is a broader term for any ring of rubble in space, not just the one between Mars and Jupiter.

Word family

asteroid noun

a rocky body orbiting the Sun, smaller than a planet

asteroidal adjective

relating to asteroids

belt noun

a band or ring-shaped region

Commonly confused: asteroid belt or Kuiper belt? asteroid belt or comet?

Practice

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