Asteroid Belt's Position in Planetary Order

Steps:

• Recall the order of planets from the Sun: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune.
• Identify the asteroid belt as a region of rocky objects orbiting the Sun.
• Note that the asteroid belt lies in the gap after Mars and before Jupiter.
• Confirm this placement avoids overlap with inner rocky planets or outer gas giants.

Why C is correct:

• The asteroid belt is defined as the circumstellar disk between Mars (fourth planet) and Jupiter (fifth planet), containing most asteroids in the Solar System.

Why the others are wrong:

• A: This area is too close to the Sun, occupied by Mercury's orbit with no asteroids.
• B: This region is between inner planets Venus and Earth, lacking significant asteroid populations.
• D: This distant gap is in the outer Solar System, home to Kuiper Belt objects, not the main asteroid belt.

Final answer: C