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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 asteroid 2016 HO3 has an orbit around the sun that keeps it as a constant companion of Earth.

Russia joins China's mission to sample an asteroid and study a comet

By Andrew Jones

China has selected a Russian science payload to fly on an upcoming mission to sample a near-Earth asteroid and later visit a main-belt comet.

Rolling down the road is a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft attached in preparation for the launch of the Crew-2 mission. Crew-2 is expected to launch from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida from Pad 39A on Thursday April 22.

Pictures from space! Our image of the day

By Space.com Staff

Rolling down the road is a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft attached in preparation for the launch of the Crew-2 mission.

Space Situational Awareness program

How are asteroids, space weather and space debris detected before they hit Earth?

By Andrew May, How It Works magazine

The European Space Agency’s Space Situational Awareness program is tackling the problem on three fronts.

The PolyCam camera on NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft took this picture of Bennu on March 4, 2021 about 186 miles (300 km) away from the asteroid. A portion of the asteroid's equatorial ridge and its northern hemisphere are visible here.

NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft begins its farewell tour of near-Earth asteroid Bennu

By Doris Elin Urrutia

A spacecraft carrying pristine asteroid samples and 4,000 megabytes of data recently flew away from the space rock Bennu.

An image of asteroid 2021 GW4 taken on April 12 as the object was nearing its closest approach to Earth.

A small, car-sized asteroid just gave Earth a close shave

By Meghan Bartels

A newly spotted asteroid about the size of a car flew harmlessly past Earth this morning (April 12).

These NASA radar images show the asteroid Apophis on March 8 and 9 as it passed within 10.6 million miles (17 million kilometers) of Earth in a 2021 flyby. NASA recorded the views with Deep Space Network antennas.

Infamous asteroid Apophis poses no threat to Earth for at least 100 years, NASA says

By Elizabeth Howell

The notorious Apophis space rock just shed its hazardous status — for the next 100 years at least — after fresh observations of the near-Earth asteroid.

An asteroid the size of a semi-truck and two other space rocks are flying by Earth today

By Elizabeth Howell

Three asteroids are making close approaches to our planet today (March 23), but don't worry; the small rocks pose no threat.

The asteroid 2001 FO32 is seen as it appeared on March 16, 2021 ahead of a close flyby on March 21 in this telescope image by astrophysicist Gianluca Masi of the Virtual Telescope Project.

The biggest asteroid to visit Earth in 2021 zooms by our planet unusually fast today

By Tariq Malik

The biggest asteroid to visit Earth this year will zoom by our planet today (March 21) and it's a real speed demon.

Asteroids in the belt between Mars and Jupiter have been named after a diverse group of 27 astronauts who are trailblazers for their respective ethnicities.

Asteroids named for diverse group of 27 trailblazing astronauts

By Robert Z. Pearlman

This image shows the path of the asteroid 2001 FO32, which will fly safely by Earth on March 21, 2021.

A big asteroid will zoom safely past Earth on March 21, NASA says

By Chelsea Gohd

The largest asteroid to zoom past Earth this year will do so on March 21, NASA says.

A chunk of the meteorite that was recovered from Winchcombe in England on March 1, 2021 — the first meteorite found in the United Kingdom since 1991.

Meteorite from brilliant UK fireball is England's first in 30 years

By Mike Wall

The singed hunk of asteroid was discovered in the driveway of a house in Winchcombe, a small town in the southwestern English county of Gloucestershire.

An artist's concept of NASA’s Lucy mission, which will study Jupiter's Trojan asteroids.

Lucy mission: NASA's visit to the Trojan asteroids

By Adam Mann

A detailed look at NASA's Lucy mission, the first to visit the Trojan asteroids around Jupiter

An image of the asteroid Apophis captured by the Virtual Telescope Project, which is based in Rome, on March 2, 2021.

Huge asteroid Apophis will safely fly past Earth tonight. Here's where to watch live online.

By Elizabeth Howell

At least two astronomy broadcast services plan to showcase the asteroid Apophis as it flies by Earth safely on Friday (March 5).

An animation shows Apophis' 2029 path compared to the swarm of satellites orbiting Earth. The asteroid won't pass nearly as closely in 2021; it will remain 44 times more distant than the moon.

Large asteroid Apophis will safely fly by Earth on Friday

By Elizabeth Howell

Our solar system's most infamous asteroid will pass by Earth on Friday (March 5), and with a high-end telescope you can watch it as it safely whizzes by our planet.

An animation shows Apophis' 2029 path compared to the swarm of satellites orbiting Earth.

Planetary defense experts use infamous asteroid Apophis to practice spotting dangerous space rocks

By Meghan Bartels

Eight years after an asteroid exploded over Chelyabinsk, Russia, scientists are taking advantage of a flyby of the infamous asteroid Apophis to practice protecting Earth from space rocks.

An artist's illustration of NASA's DART spacecraft prior to impact at the Didymos binary asteroid system.

NASA delays launch of DART asteroid defense mission

By Samantha Mathewson

NASA has delayed the launch of its first-ever planetary defense mission aimed at deflecting potentially hazardous asteroids from colliding with Earth.

3D illustration of an asteroid flying past Earth

Asteroid the size of the Golden Gate Bridge will whiz past Earth in March

By Patrick Pester

An asteroid the size of the Golden Gate Bridge will get close enough to Earth to be classified as "potentially hazardous." What's the risk?

An animation shows Apophis' 2029 path compared to the swarm of satellites orbiting Earth.

Scientists prepare for their last good look at asteroid Apophis before 2029 flyby

By Meghan Bartels

On March 5, wave hello to the most infamous asteroid that won't slam into Earth in 2029. Scientists sure will.

A new image created using a demonstration radar transmitter at the Green Bank Telescope in West Virginia and receivers from the Very Long Baseline Array, captured in November 2020.

US planetary radar may get a boost from Green Bank Observatory

By Meghan Bartels

It was serendipity that had scientists already toying with a demonstration of a new planetary radar system just as Earth lost its most powerful such instrument.

A mosaic of 12 images of the asteroid Bennu captured by NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft on Dec. 2, 2018.

NASA probe leaving asteroid Bennu in May to deliver samples to Earth

By Mike Wall

NASA's asteroid-sampling OSIRIS-REx probe will spend a couple of extra months at its target space rock before heading back to Earth.