Why is it considered unlikely that the asteroid belt is the shattered remains of a larger object?

Answer 1

Mostly because there's no evidence of a collision as such. A shattered planet in that region would most likely re-form; (our moon is a good example of that), but with Jupiter's mass continually tearing apart the objects in the region, a planet never had a chance to form.

Answer 2

An object shattered in space will throw debris in all directions. The velocity will either be greater or less than escape velocity. That is, either the debris will keep going or be pulled back into the same mass by gravity. The asteroid belt is not flying apart. The asteroid belt is not falling together. To achieve such a state would require precision destruction.

Answer 3

Bode's Law suggests that there SHOULD be a planet there. Of course Bode's law is a numerical sequence that happens to pretty much conincide with planetary distances. But it may be utter coincidence.

Its unlikely that there was a larger object because the amount of material in the asteroid belt assembled would be considerably less than that of our moon.

It is likely that Jupiter, with its huge gravity and size swallowed most of the material that might have formed a planet there during the accretion phase of the solar system

Answer 4

Asteroids are primordial objects left over from the formation of the Solar System. While some have suggested that they are the remains of a protoplanet that was destroyed in a massive collision long ago, the prevailing view is that asteroids are leftover rocky matter that never successfully coalesced into a planet. Most planetary astronomers still believe that the planets of the Solar System formed from a nebula of gas and dust and ices that coalesced into a dusty disk around the developing Sun. Within the disk, tiny dust grains (and ices in the colder environs beginning around two AUs inside of Jupiter's orbit) coagulated into larger and larger bodies called planetesimals, many of which eventually accreted into planets over a period as long as a 100 million years. However, beyond the orbit of Mars, gravitational interference from Jupiter's huge mass prevented protoplanetary bodies from growing larger than about 1,000 km (620 miles), by sweeping many into pulverizing collisions as well as out into the Oort Cloud or beyond Sol's gravitational reach altogether. Any questions?

Answer 5

Jupiter's influence probably has something to do with it. Besides, there really isn't that much matter there. I remember reading somewhere that the moon has more mass than the entire asteroid belt. It's not like asteroid belts that you see in movies, it's very sparsely populated.

Answer 6

it would have to be a really huge object to cause all the debris floating around in the asteroid belt. nothing that big could have created it, without there being signs elsewhere.

Answer 7

Maybe because the remains haven't floated away from each other like they should have. There's an energy holding those things together.

Answer 8

Not enough total mass. The influence of Jupiter probably impeded consolidation of the material that was there; a lot of it probably fell into Jupiter.

Answer 9

what do you mean unlikely? it IS likely...i just wached a documentary on it a few days ago

Answer 10

it could be or it could be just the garbarge dump of the solor system .. all the loose stuff in it gathers there .. who knows??