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asteroid belt
noun
: the region of interplanetary space between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter in which most asteroids are found
Examples of asteroid belt in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Psyche was the 16th asteroid to be discovered and ranks among the dozen most massive objects in the asteroid belt.
—Stephen Clark, Ars Technica, 13 Oct. 2023
The law works for Ceres, which predicted that there should be something in the region of the asteroid belt but failed after the discovery of Neptune.
—Paul M. Sutter, Discover Magazine, 5 Dec. 2023
This fairly small space rock is in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 2 Nov. 2023
The spacecraft, built by Maxar Technologies in partnership with JPL, will swing by Mars in 2026 for a gravity-assist maneuver to slingshot into the asteroid belt, setting up for a final approach to asteroid Psyche in 2029.
—Stephen Clark, Ars Technica, 13 Oct. 2023
The robotic probe launched on October 13 aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket, with the primary goal of flying to the asteroid Psyche, a metal-rich world in the asteroid belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.
—Stephen Clark, Ars Technica, 30 Dec. 2023
Webb telescope detects mysterious water vapor in a nearby star system The main asteroid belt, located between Mars and Jupiter, is where leftovers from the formation of our solar system orbit the sun.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN, 8 May 2023
An Asteroid’s Moon Doubles Down NASA’s Lucy spacecraft is currently in the main asteroid belt, cruising by its way to Jupiter—or, more accurately, to Jupiter’s orbit.
—Phil Plait, Scientific American, 29 Dec. 2023
The main asteroid belt is in close alignment with the ecliptic plane, or the same plane that includes Earth’s orbit around the sun.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN, 6 Feb. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'asteroid belt.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1867, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near asteroid belt
Cite this Entry
“Asteroid belt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/asteroid%20belt. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.
Kids Definition
asteroid belt
noun
: the region of interplanetary space between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter in which most asteroids are found
More from Merriam-Webster on asteroid belt
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about asteroid belt
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