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

illustration of a spacecraft with two circular solar panels deployed. below the spacecraft is an asteroid's surface

UAE to land a probe on an asteroid between Mars and Jupiter in 2034

By Elizabeth Howell published

The United Arab Emirates just provided new details about its planned asteroid mission, which will visit seven different space rocks — and land on one of them.

a spacecraft flying past a pair of Trojan asteroids

NASA's asteroid-hopping Lucy probe on course for 1st space rock flyby in November

By Robert Lea published

NASA's Lucy spacecraft has altered its course ahead of visiting its first asteroid target in Nov. 2023 on its way to become the first probe to visit the Trojan asteroids that orbit Jupiter.

An artist's illustration of asteroids headed toward Earth.

Earth is safe from a devastating asteroid impact for 1,000 years (probably)

By Robert Lea published

Earth probably won't get hit by an asteroid at least 0.6 miles (1 kilometers) wide in the next 1,000 years, a new study finds.

An artist's illustration of the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, the main destination of the United Arab Emirates' second interplanetary mission.

UAE's ambitious asteroid mission will tour 7 space rocks

By Andrew Jones published

The United Arab Emirates is targeting seven different space rocks with its ambitious mission to the main asteroid belt.

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope captured this image of the dusty debris disk surrounding the young star Fomalhaut using its Mid-Infrared Instrument. The image reveals three nested belts extending out to 14 billion miles (23 billion kilometers) from the star. The inner belts were revealed by Webb for the first time.

James Webb Space Telescope snaps amazing photo of alien asteroid belt

By Robert Lea published

The first asteroid belt ever found outside the solar system is more complex than expected, new observations by the James Webb Space Telescope reveal.

Artist's illustration shows lots of space rocks and a bright star - the sun - in the distance.

See asteroid Iris 7 make its close approach to Earth tonight

By Robert Lea published

Skywatchers will get an excellent opportunity to spot the 124-mile-wide asteroid Iris 7 as it reaches opposition on April 30 as the main-belt object also makes its closest approach to Earth.

Asteroid Phaethon emitting its sodium tail as it passes the sun

The strange mystery of asteroid Phaethon's comet-like tail may have just been solved

By Robert Lea published

Astronomers observing the strange "rock comet" hybrid Phaethon as it passed the sun have found a surprise that could upend 14 years of thinking about the weird asteroid.

An artist's illustration of asteroids headed toward Earth.

US updates asteroid-defense strategy

By Josh Dinner published

The U.S. government has published an updated action plan for how to deal with potentially dangerous asteroids.

(Left) Some of LUCY's Trojan asteroid targets, Eurybates, Polymede, Leucus, and Orus as seen by the spacecraft. (Right) an illustration of LUCY.

NASA's LUCY mission snaps its asteroid targets for the 1st time

By Robert Lea published

NASA's LUCY asteroid-hopping mission has for the first time spotted four of its asteroid targets which it will visit from 2027 onwards and send those images back to Earth.

Telescope images of Neptune's rare red asteroids taken with taken with the Palomar 200-inch, Gemini and Keck telescopes

Rare red asteroids around Neptune could reveal the secrets of the early solar system

By Joanna Thompson published

Scientists have observed that some of Neptune's Trojan asteroids are deep red, possibly revealing what asteroids may have been like in the early days of the solar system.

An artist's illustration of asteroid Apophis near Earth. The asteroid will fly extremely close to Earth in 2029, and then again in 2036, but poses no threat of hitting the planet either time.

NASA wants fleet of spacecraft to watch infamous Apophis asteroid approach Earth: report

By Elizabeth Howell published

The Apophis asteroid, recently cleared of imminent wrongdoing to Earth, already has one spacecraft visitor expected. NASA wants industry to send more.

The newfound space rock 2023 FW13 has an orbit that keeps it as a constant companion of Earth, like that of 2016 HO3, which is shown here.

Earth has a new 'quasi-moon' after discovery of newfound asteroid 2023 FW13

By Sharmila Kuthunur published

A newfound asteroid called 2023 FW13 has been Earth's companion for centuries, astronomers say.

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.

NASA's asteroid-smashing DART mission revealed how battered space rock Dimorphos formed

By Paul Sutter published

Observations by NASA's DART spacecraft suggest that the asteroid Dimorphos formed from material flung into space by its spinning asteroid partner, Didymos.

An illustration of a large rocky asteroid moving through space as the blue Earth sits in the distance

'Potentially hazardous' skyscraper-size asteroid will zip past Earth on April 6

By Brandon Specktor published

The potentially hazardous asteroid 2023 FM is larger than a 40-story building and will zoom within 7.5 lunar distances from Earth on Thursday, April 6, according to NASA.

An illustration of an asteroid striking Earth.

This is what would happen if scientists found an asteroid heading to Earth

By Robert Lea published

To illustrate the importance of planetary defense NASA scientists have devised an exercise that shows the potential devastation that could be caused by a hypothetical asteroid strike.

An illustration of the asteroid Ryugu making a close approach to Earth

What would happen if the asteroid Ryugu hit Earth?

By Robert Lea published

Using samples returned from the 0.6-mile-wide asteroid Ryugu, scientists have calculated what would happen if it were to slam into our planet.

An illustration of DART approaching its target asteroid system.

Here's what we've learned from NASA's DART asteroid-slamming mission so far

By Robert Lea published

NASA's DART mission, an attempt to discover if a spacecraft impact can shift an asteroid away from a collision course with Earth, has been described as a "smashing success."

An artist's depiction of the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft collecting a sample from asteroid Bennu.

NASA prepping for September arrival of OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample

By Josh Dinner published

As OSIRIS-REx flies its return trajectory through space, teams on Earth are preparing for the sample's Sept. 24 landing in the Utah desert.

A preview of the dwarf planet Ceres "meeting" spiral galaxy Messier 100 in the night sky

How to watch Ceres, a dwarf planet 14 times smaller than Pluto, photobomb a spiral galaxy this weekend

By Jamie Carter published

Watch live online as the dwarf planet Ceres swoops in front of the 'grand design' spiral galaxy Messier 100 this weekend.

Adam Driver asks NASA all about asteroids and their impact threat to Earth in a new video.

'65' star Adam Driver asks NASA about the asteroid threat to Earth (video)

By Robert Lea published

Adam Driver, star of the new movie "65," quizzed NASA about the dangers of asteroids and the success of the DART mission.