Asteroid - Wikipedia
An asteroid is a minor planet —an object that is neither a true planet nor an identified comet — that orbits within the inner Solar System. They are rocky, metallic, or icy bodies with no …
Asteroid | Definition, Size, & Facts | Britannica
5 days ago · asteroid, any of a host of small bodies, about 1,000 km (600 miles) or less in diameter, that orbit the Sun primarily between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter in a nearly flat ring …
Eyes on Asteroids - NASA/JPL
Explore the 3D world of Asteroids, Comets and NEOs. Learn about past and future missions, tracking and predicting orbits, and close approaches to Earth.
Study Finds Earth’s Small Asteroid Visitor Likely Chunk of ... - NASA
3 days ago · Typically, asteroids — like the one depicted in this artist’s concept — originate from the main asteroid belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, but a small population of near …
Asteroid Facts - Science@NASA
Nov 3, 2024 · Most asteroids can be found orbiting our Sun between Mars and Jupiter within the main asteroid belt. Asteroids range in size from Vesta – the largest asteroid
What Is an Asteroid? - NASA Space Place
Jan 14, 2025 · Asteroids are small, rocky objects that orbit the sun. Although asteroids orbit the sun like planets, they are much smaller than planets. A close-up image of the asteroid Ida …
In Depth - NASA Solar System Exploration
Asteroids, sometimes called minor planets, are rocky remnants left over from the early formation of our solar system about 4.6 billion years ago. The current known asteroid count is: . Most of …
Asteroid Fast Facts - NASA
Mar 31, 2014 · About once a year, an automobile-sized asteroid hits Earth’s atmosphere, creates an impressive fireball, and burns up before reaching the surface. Every 2,000 years or so, a …
Asteroid and Comet Resources - Science@NASA
Learn about the NEOWISE mission, NASA's asteroid-hunting space telescope, which retired in summer 2024 after over a decade of discovering, tracking, and characterizing near-Earth …
Fast Facts - NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)
What are the differences between an asteroid, comet, meteoroid, meteor, and meteorite? Asteroid. A relatively small, inactive body orbiting the Sun. Asteroids are typically composed of …