What are Kirkwood Gaps?

Kirkwood Gaps refer specifically to the regions in the asteroid belt where there is a notable scarcity of asteroids at certain distances from the Sun. These gaps are the result of gravitational perturbations caused by the nearby gas giant Jupiter. As Jupiter orbits the Sun, its strong gravitational influence creates resonances with the orbits of asteroids. This results in certain orbital distances becoming unstable, where asteroids tend to be nudged out of those orbits over time.

As a consequence, the Kirkwood Gaps appear as intervals within the asteroid belt where fewer asteroids are found, corresponding to specific semi-major axes where these resonances occur. This phenomenon effectively illustrates the dynamic interactions between celestial bodies in our solar system and highlights the impact of gravity on the distribution of objects within the asteroid belt.