
If all the asteroids in the asteroid belt had coalesced to form a planet, what size would it have been?
The size may surprise you.
Asked by: Adam King, Huddersfield
Surprisingly, the total mass of material in the asteroid belt is only about 4 per cent of the mass of the Moon. About half of this mass is contained in the four largest asteroids: Ceres, Vesta, Pallas and Hygiea. If all this material were concentrated into a single object with the same density as Ceres, it would be a dwarf planet about 700km in radius (Pluto, another dwarf planet, has a radius of 1,188km).
Such a small object would have little impact on the Solar System as a whole.

Subscribe to BBC Focus magazine for fascinating new Q&As every month and follow @sciencefocusQA on Twitter for your daily dose of fun facts.
Authors
Subscription offer
Subscribe and try your first 3 issues for just £5. After your introductory period you will pay just £22.99 every 6 issues by Direct Debit. Receive every issue delivered direct to your door with FREE UK delivery.