C-type asteroid

<p>C-type (<a href="/facts/Carbon/ukrgQexo">carbonaceous</a> /ˌkɑːrbəˈneɪʃəs/) asteroids are the most common variety, forming around 75% of known <a href="/facts/Asteroid/g7Ulr1VB">asteroids</a>. They are volatile-rich and distinguished by a very low <a href="/facts/Albedo/TJDRdKEB">albedo</a> because their composition includes a large amount of <a href="/facts/Carbon/ukrgQexo">carbon</a>, in addition to rocks and minerals. They have an average density of about 1.7 g/cm3.
</p><p>They lie most often at the outer edge of the <a href="/facts/Asteroid_belt/YHAq2Eh3">asteroid belt</a>, 3.5 <a href="/facts/Astronomical_unit/gjsbu5xU">au</a> (520 million <a href="/facts/Kilometre/hdQp79QE">km</a>; 330 million <a href="/facts/Mile/e22bY569">mi</a>) from the <a href="/facts/Sun/CadPCVHh">Sun</a>, where 80% of the asteroids are of this type, whereas only 40% of asteroids at 2 au (300 million km; 190 million mi) from the Sun are C-type. The proportion of C-types may actually be greater than this, since C-types are much darker (and hence <a href="/facts/Sampling_bias/nrr4qR2T">less detectable</a>) than most other asteroid types, except for <a href="/facts/D-type_asteroid/qQ6b4lq4">D-types</a> and others that lie mostly at the extreme outer edge of the asteroid belt.
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C-type asteroid open-in-new

C-type asteroid