What keeps asteroids moving through space for billions of years?

Answer 1

There is nothing to stop them. Inertia. Find Newton's Laws of Motion.

Answer 2

At some point there was an explosion or some force that started that asteroid in motion. Since there is no air in space (ie. a vacuum) that asteroid will only change direction based on its reaction with other bodies in the universe. When it passes a large object, the objects gravity changes the course of the asteroid, perhaps causing it to hit something. The only time it will truly stop is when it gets caught in a gravity field stronger than its inertia. (ie,. it hits a planet or other source of gravity).

Answer 3

There are many forces that come into existence.Inertia of motion keeps the asteroids moving.Newton's first law of motion states that every body in this universe continues to be at the state of rest or uniform motion,until and unless acted by an external force.There's nothing to stop the asteroids from moving in space. Another force is the force of gravity.Asteroid belt between mars and jupiter orbit the sun because of gravity.Also the centripetal force keeps it in it's orbit and the centrifugal force keeps it within it's orbit,so as to not let asteroids deviate from their orbital path.At times,gravity of earth attracts these asteroids but very few make to the earth's surface.

Answer 4

Questions like these can never be answered.

We can however, make theories/laws to describe them.

According to Newton's first law of motion, also known as the law of inertia, a body remains in its state of rest or of uniform motion ( like that of an asteroid where the body covers equal displacements in equal time intervals) unless acted upon by a force ( external unbalanced force).

In space there is barely any force ( since there is vacuum all around) so an asteroid will continue moving.

[ The law just tells us what will happen, but it cannot tell us why it happens. ]

Answer 5

It really depends on where the asteroid is located. There are astroid belts that rotate around stars due to gravity. Just as it keeps planets moving around a star in ellipitical paths, asteroid belts can rotate around a star.

There are also asteroids traveling without any force acting at them at that point in time. They may have encountered a planet that pulled them and released them in a particular direction but is no longer providing any force on the object. But as you know an object in motion stays in motion until acted upon again. Eventually it will encounter gravitational pull from another object and that will change it's path.

Answer 6

It is inertia forces which is happen during the asteroid being explode or crach with other asteroids.Its velocity is constant because in space there is no resistance that could reduce it speed.If the asteroids is static, it will be static for a billion, no trillion, no for long life it not moving unless there is a force given to it.

Answer 7

They slip, and slide in the vacuum of space, and the effect of the attraction of nearby planets keep them in orbit, until something knocks them out of that rhythm and gravity pulls them into the nearby planet, or collapse against another floating object.

Answer 8

its a state of vacume. where the momentum and the gravatational forces from the nearby planets and sun keeps them moving in a sort of egg shaped circle lol

Answer 9

Habit.

Answer 10

no gravity......