What is indicated by the term 'orbital resonance' related to asteroids?

Orbital resonance refers to a gravitational phenomenon that occurs when two orbiting bodies exert a regular, periodic gravitational influence on each other, typically because their orbital periods are related by a ratio of small integers. In the context of asteroids, this usually means that an asteroid has an orbital period that matches, or is in a simple ratio with, a larger body, such as a planet.

For instance, if an asteroid completes an orbit around the Sun in a time that is a simple fraction of the time it takes a planet to complete its orbit, the gravitational pull of the planet will have a significant effect on the asteroid's path. This can lead to the creation of groups of asteroids that maintain stable configurations, such as the Kirkwood gaps found in the asteroid belt, where some regions are devoid of asteroids due to the influence of Jupiter's gravity.

The other options, while related to orbital dynamics, do not specifically define orbital resonance. A faster orbital velocity does not necessarily indicate a resonant relationship with other bodies, collisions among asteroids are a result of various factors and not directly indicative of resonance, and a stable grouping of celestial bodies is more of a consequence of gravitational interactions than a definition of resonance itself. Thus, the concept of matching orbital