Thousands of very small bodies form a ring between Mars and Jupiter, the largest being only 480 miles in diameter. The smallest known are considered to be only a few miles across. They are mostly invisible to the naked eye and are called Minor Planets. The first minor planet to be discovered was Ceres, by Piazzi, on 1st January, 1801 and so named after the Goddess of Corn and Harvest. Vesta, the brightest, was discovered in 1807. Those now discovered number nearly 2,000. They may be parts of a larger planet, broken up or not yet formed.
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