Discovered the most violent asteroid in Solar System history

A giant asteroid about 1/7 the size of the Moon surprised astronomers with its special history.

The asteroid called Pallas , named after the Greek goddess of wisdom, was first discovered in 1802.

Image of Pallas asteroid.

Pallas orbits the Sun in the asteroid belt, the third largest object in the region, after Vesta and Ceres. Images from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) recently revealed the true 'violent' history of Pallas with collisions.

Experts from MIT have another name for the asteroid Golfball because there are many holes created from collisions throughout its history.

The reason for the collisions is because it has a strange trajectory, rushing in and out of the asteroid belt as it moves around its host star. It was then bombarded with smaller craters, giving the surface a golf ball-like appearance.

MIT astronomer Michaël Marsset, lead author of the study, said: 'From these images, we can now say that Pallas is the most destroyed object we know in the asteroid belt. planet. It's like exploring a new world. '

Pallas is said to have experienced two to three times more collisions than Ceres or Vesta. The inclined orbit is a simple explanation for the very strange surface we don't see on either of those two asteroids.

Some experts believe that the asteroid belt is found near the orbit of Jupiter, where there is a huge part in protecting the Earth from asteroids.

This massive planet has such a strong gravitational attraction that it helps hold the asteroid belt in place to kick space flying around the Solar System.

Even NASA thinks that if not a giant planet like Jupiter exerts its gravity on asteroids in the belt, the inner planets will be constantly bombarded by large asteroids. The presence of Jupiter actually protects Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars from asteroid collisions.