![](https://skastronomyfacts23.files.wordpress.com/2023/04/image.png?w=819)
(Diagram showing various asteroids, very potato shaped, you may notice)
As Dr. G says, “When I say Asteroids, you say Space Potatoes!”
But what exactly does that mean?
The reason we liken asteroids to potatoes is because of their shape (unfortunately, they do not taste as good as those beautiful starchy tubers) (Side note: in case you didn’t know [because I did not], a tuber is kinda like a root but not really. Apparently potatoes are tubers. You learn something new everyday). Because asteroids are so small, they do not hold enough gravitational force to mold themselves into spherical shapes like larger planets do.
You may notice that in the chart above the asteroid Ceres, however, looks very round. Ceres is a special case because it actually is large enough to have the gravitational force to make itself round. It is the largest asteroid in our solar system and accounts for ~1/3 of all mass in the Asteroid Belt. It’s such a large asteroid, it is actually a dwarf planet too!
Maybe now you’ll think of asteroids every time you have potatoes too