Asteroids

Asteroids are space rocks thought to be the remains left over from the formation of the solar system. They range in size from tiny (the size of a car or so) to truly giant, with at least one - Ceres - gaining dwarf planet status. In our solar system, billions of asteroids are in the asteroid belt, a region around the sun between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. Others stray from this region, and can potentially post an impact threat to the Earth. At least one interstellar asteroid, called 'Oumuamua, has passed through our solar system. Learn more about asteroids here.

Related Topics: Comets, Meteors, Shooting Stars and Fireballs, Rosetta Spacecraft 

Latest Updates

The engine bay of SpaceX's Starship

Pictures from space! Our image of the day

By Space.com Staff published

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk shared a photo of the Starship engine bay at the company's test site in southern Texas taken ahead of a planned static firing test of the engine's first stage.

Asteroid 2023 BU during its approach to Earth seen through the eyes of the Virtual Telescope in Italy.

Watch an SUV-size asteroid zoom by Earth in close shave flyby in this time-lapse video

By Tereza Pultarova published

Watch asteroid 2023 BU make a close flyby of Earth in images shared by the Virtual Telescope Project taken when the rock was just 13,670 miles (22,000 kilometers) from the surface.

A team prepares NASA's Psyche spacecraft for launch inside the Astrotech Space Operations Facility near the agency's Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida on Dec. 8, 2022. Psyche will launch atop a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from KSC's Launch Complex 39A in October 2023.

NASA to launch Psyche asteroid probe in October 2023 after delays

By Elizabeth Howell published

NASA's Psyche asteroid mission is targeting an October 2023 launch, after a one-year delay due to software issues.

This illustration shows what the Centaur Chariklo and its rings could look like, based on our current understanding.

James Webb Space Telescope discovers water ice at ringed asteroid Chariklo 'by remarkable luck'

By Sharmila Kuthunur published

Using the James Webb Space Telescope, astronomers observe a stellar occultation and discover the first clear evidence for water ice in the Chariklo system.

An artist's depiction of the Lucy spacecraft flying past a pair of Trojan asteroids.

NASA's Lucy asteroid mission adds 10th space rock target

By Andrew Jones published

NASA's Jupiter Trojan asteroid-scouting mission has been given an additional space rock to visit, bringing the journey's total to 10 asteroids.

The encounter with Earth will alter the trajectory of asteroid 2023 BU.

Car-sized asteroid will pass extremely close to Earth tonight

By Tereza Pultarova last updated

The space rock, called 2023 BU, was discovered less than a week ago.

An artist's depiction of the Janus spacecraft.

Grounded spacecraft look for new space rocks to visit, including notorious asteroid Apophis

By Meghan Bartels published

Scientists are working hard to try to salvage a pair of spacecraft that lost their launch — and the solution might include the most notorious asteroid out there, Apophis.

An image from the spacecraft Hayabusa of the asteroid Itokawa.

Rubble-pile asteroids are 'giant space cushions' that live forever

By Sharmila Kuthunur published

New research found that the rubble-pile asteroid Itokawa can survive collisions for 10 times longer than its conventional, single-body counterparts.

An illustration of an asteroid passing close to Earth.

Watch asteroid 2023 BU pass close by Earth today in this free webcast

By Brett Tingley last updated

Asteroid 2023 BU will pass Earth at a distance of 2,178 miles (3,506 kilometers) on Thursday (Jan. 26) — closer than satellites in geostationary orbit.

An illustration of NASA's asteroid visiting Lucy spacecraft as it swings past Earth for a gravity assist, with one solar array not quite completely deployed.

The Lucy asteroid probe's solar array still isn't latched, but NASA's fine with it

By Andrew Jones published

Lucy is producing enough power to perform its mission despite undeployed slice of solar array.

A surprise asteroid photobombs an image of the nearby galaxy UGC 7938 taken by the Hubble Space Telescope.

Surprise asteroid photobombs Hubble telescope image. Can you spot it?

By Tereza Pultarova published

The Hubble Space Telescope caught an unexpected asteroid streaking across a field of distant galaxies.

The moon's Tycho Crater in 16-foot (5-meter) resolution detail, as imaged by a prototype radar system at the Green Bank Telescope.

These are the most detailed images of the moon ever taken on Earth

By Stefanie Waldek published

The final project, which will be 1,000 times more powerful, will be used to help spot potentially hazardous objects flying toward Earth.

An artist's depiction of NASA's NEO Surveyor telescope looking for asteroids.

Construction begins on NASA's NEO Surveyor asteroid-hunting telescope

By Elizabeth Rayne published

NASA's NEO Surveyor, a telescope that will look for near-Earth asteroids, is now being built.

An artist's conception of a mining settlement on the double asteroid 90 Antiope, located in the main asteroid belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.

Space mining startups see a rich future on asteroids and the moon

By Leonard David published

Space mining has matured to the point where there are dozens of startup companies planning to begin harvesting valuable resources from space.

DART's view of Dimorphos less than two minutes before impact on Sept. 26, 2022.

Space candy: Asteroid smashed by NASA's DART probe looks a bit like an M&M, scientists say

By Meghan Bartels published

Planetary scientists attending the first major conference since NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) permanently moved a space rock offered early findings about the asteroid and the impact.

Part of the antenna array at the High-Frequency Active Auroral Research Program.

Scientists just tried to see inside an asteroid with radio waves from this HAARP array

By Tereza Pultarova published

Some people think HAARP was built to trigger natural disasters, but it may, in fact, help to save Earth one day.

This image shows the effects of a 1600-foot asteroid hitting the Space.com offices in New York City, creating a 5.8-mile crater and a fireball nearly 9 miles across.

This Asteroid Launcher simulator lets you destroy your hometown — or anywhere else

By Rahul Rao published

Asteroid Launcher, a new web app that gives asteroid impact fanatics a shot at answering some of their questions on what an asteroid crash would be like.

NASA's Artemis 1 Orion spacecraft with the crescent Earth in the background on Dec. 10, 2022.

The best spaceflight stories of 2022 brought us across the solar system

By Elizabeth Howell published

NASA's Artemis 1 Orion spacecraft made an epic flight to the moon, Russia invaded Ukraine and SpaceX set a few records.

Artist's conception of a futuristic city inside an asteroid, nearby a planet.

We could build space cities in asteroids like in sci-fi with this wild concept

By Elizabeth Howell published

A futuristic study suggests that a spinning, rubbly asteroid could support a massive space settlement the size of Manhattan.

Views of the Didymos system within the first month of DART's impact as seen by the Ōtehīwai Mt. John Observatory in New Zealand.

NASA's DART asteroid smash flung 2 million pounds of rock into space

By Meghan Bartels published

The massive tail created by the collision of a spacecraft and an asteroid earlier this year is unlocking key information about space rocks and how to respond if an asteroid ever threatens Earth.