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

Ceres will be at opposition on March 21, 2023, though you'll still need a telescope to see the dwarf planet.

Spot dwarf planet Ceres during the new moon tonight

By Robert Lea published

The dark skies of the new moon will offer skywatchers the chance to spot Ceres tonight (March 21), as the dwarf planet reaches opposition.

The core stage of NASA's Space Launch System rocket that will launch the Artemis II mission to the moon next year is coming together.

Pictures from space! Our image of the day

By Space.com Staff published

The 212-foot-tall core stage of NASA's Space Launch System rocket that will send the first human crew since the Apollo era to the moon next year has been put together.

The U.S. Postal Service's "OSIRIS-REx Return to Earth" postage stamp celebrates the seven-year NASA mission to bring back rock and soil from the surface of the asteroid Bennu.

NASA asteroid sample return mission to land on U.S. postage stamp

By Robert Z. Pearlman published

The USPS dropped news of a surprise space stamp, revealing it plans to mark the upcoming plunge to Earth by the OSIRIS-REx capsule carrying the largest sample ever collected from an asteroid.

an illustration of an asteroid in space

Watch a small asteroid fly by Earth closer than the moon tonight in this free livestream

By Brett Tingley published

The near-Earth asteroid 2023 EY will pass within 149,000 miles (239,800 kilometers) of Earth tonight (March 16), and you can watch it live thanks to a free telescope livestream.

an illustration of an asteroid in space

Asteroid feared to hit Earth in 2046 will almost certainly miss, NASA says

By Ben Turner published

An asteroid that was initially given 1-in-600 chance of wiping out an entire city on Valentine's Day 2046 is now expected to almost definitely whizz past us without incident.

This high-resolution view of the asteroid Dimorphos was created by combining the final 10 full-frame images obtained by the NASA DART probe's Didymos Reconnaissance and Asteroid Camera for Optical navigation (DRACO) and layering the higher-resolution images on top of the lower-resolution ones. Dimorphos is oriented so that its north pole is toward the top of the image.

Scientists hail DART success 6 months after historic asteroid crash

By Sharmila Kuthunur published

Scientists shared the latest results from the DART mission this week, six months after its impact into the asteroid Dimorphos.

Japanese astronomer Daichi Fujii captured this shot of a meteorite impacting the moon (bright flash at bottom left) on Feb. 23, 2023.

Boom! Japanese astronomer catches meteorite smashing into the moon (video)

By Andrew Jones published

Japanese astronomer Daichi Fujii captured the telltale flash of a meteorite impacting the moon, causing a brief flash on our celestial neighbor's nightside.

The newly discovered asteroid 2023 DW flies close by Earth on Feb. 14, 2046.

Newly discovered asteroid the size of a swimming pool has a 1-in-600 chance of colliding with Earth, NASA says

By Brandon Specktor published

The newly discovered asteroid 2023 DW could collide with Earth in February 2046, although the odds of an impact are low.

a colorful cloud of gas in space

Asteroids may have picked up building blocks of life from interstellar clouds

By Keith Cooper published

Scientists have taken a big step towards figuring out where building blocks of life such as amino acids and amines form in space.

telescopic image of blue dust rising from an asteroid

Slam! Hubble sees strange changes in asteroid dust after DART collision (video)

By Elizabeth Howell published

NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission slammed into a small space rock last year, and the effects were visible from Earth orbit.

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

DART's epic asteroid crash: What NASA has learned 5 months later

By Sharmila Kuthunur published

Astronomers studying data from NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission have found out a great deal about its target space rock, and about planetary defense in general.

A large asteroid flying safely by Earth.

4 big asteroids are flying by Earth this week, but don't worry. They aren't getting too close.

By Tariq Malik published

A quartet of large asteroids are zooming by Earth this week, but they'll all pass our planet with millions of miles to spare, according to NASA.

This image of the dwarf planet Ceres, taken by NASA's Dawn spacecraft in 2015, approximates how the dwarf planet's colors would appear to the eye.

Astronomers spy new class of dark, water-rich asteroids like dwarf planet Ceres

By Sharmila Kuthunur published

Astronomers interpret the spectra of 10 well-known dark asteroids and find them to be water-rich like the dwarf planet Ceres.

dark rocks in a white container

Asteroid Ryugu is rich in organic molecules that can be building blocks of life

By Robert Lea published

A first look at samples returned by the Hayabusa2 craft from the asteroid Ryugu has revealed it is rich in organic molecules like amino acids that are the building blocks of life.

Asteroid 2011 AG5 has a similar size and shape as the Empire State Buidling.

Oddly shaped asteroid once considered an impact risk for Earth races past the planet

By Robert Lea published

An asteroid larger than the Empire State Building that was once considered an impact risk of Earth raced past the planet in February and astronomers managed to take a proper look at it.

A size comparison of Dinkinesh (shown in blue) and other main asteroid belt objects Bennu and (2867) Steins.

Meet Dinkinesh: Asteroid targeted by NASA's Lucy spacecraft gets a marvelous name

By Robert Lea published

The asteroid that NASA's Lucy craft will visit in Nov 2023 has finally been given a name, Dinkinesh, meaning "you are marvelous" in Amharic.

Artist's illustration of asteroids near Earth.

Chinese asteroid-detection system enters new phase of construction

By Andrew Jones published

The "China Compound Eye" radar array aims to track and characterize potentially threatening deep-space objects.

Screenshot of a video showing a fireball falling over France Feb. 13, 2023.

Meteorite found! Space rock from brilliant fireball over Europe located in France

By Elizabeth Howell published

A meteorite believed to have originated from a brilliant fireball that lit up European skies on Monday (Feb. 13) was located in France by citizen scientists.

A meteor explodes above Chelyabinsk, Russia on Feb. 15, 2013.

Chelyabinsk meteor explosion over Russia 10 years ago was a planetary defense wakeup call

By Brett Tingley published

On Feb. 15, 2003, a meteor exploded over the Russian city of Chelyabinsk, showing why we need better methods of detecting and tracking near-Earth asteroids.

Artist's illustration of asteroids near Earth.

Big asteroid to zoom by Earth on Wednesday

By Mike Wall published

A sizable asteroid will make its closest approach to Earth in four centuries on Wednesday evening (Feb. 15), but there's nothing to fear.