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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 

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3D illustration of an asteroid flying past Earth.

Asteroid the size of the Great Pyramid of Giza just flew (safely) by Earth

By Jeanna Bryner

An asteroid about as long as the Great Pyramid of Giza is tall made a "close" approach with Earth on Sunday (July 25), according to NASA calculations.

Wildfires raging in the western U.S. seen from the International Space Station.

Pictures from space! Our image of the day

By Space.com Staff

Wildfires ravaging the western U.S. can be seen in this image taken from aboard the International Space Station by NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei on Saturday (July 24).

A rare meteorite found in England in March 2021.

4.6 billion-year-old meteorite found in horseshoe footprint

By Stephanie Pappas

A meteorite found nestled in a horseshoe imprint in England was formed in the early days of the solar system and may contain the building blocks of life.

Asteroid impacts created infernal conditions on the young Earth.

City-sized asteroids smacked ancient Earth 10 times more often than thought

By Tereza Pultarova

Asteroids as big as the one that wiped out the dinosaurs, or even bigger, used to strike ancient Earth ten times more often than previously believed, according to a new study.

A repurposed telecommunication satellite about to hit an asteroid to safe humankind from extinction.

Repurposed communications satellites could help save humanity from an asteroid impact

By Tereza Pultarova

Large telecommunication satellites used for TV broadcasting could be quickly and easily repurposed as anti-asteroid weapons according to European aerospace company Airbus.

An artist's illustration of asteroids, or near-Earth objects.

Celebrate Asteroid Day 2021 with NASA and The Asteroid Foundation

By Elizabeth Howell

Researchers on two channels will help you learn about space rocks, exploring asteroids and keeping our planet safe from near-Earth objects.

Artist's illustration of NASA's asteroid-hunting NEO Surveyor spacecraft, which is scheduled to launch in 2026.

NASA asteroid-hunting satellite clears hurdle on path to 2026 launch

By Mike Wall

NASA has approved the Near-Earth Object Surveyor space telescope to move into "preliminary design," its next phase of development on the road to a planned liftoff in 2026.

An animation of asteroid Ryugu with images from JAXA's Hayabusa2 mission.

Boulders on asteroid Ryugu are surprisingly fluffy, Japan's Hayabusa2 probe finds

By Charles Q. Choi

Boulders on asteroids can be three-quarters hollow or more, a discovery that could help yield insights on the way in which Earth and other planets formed, a new study finds.

NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft captured this image of the asteroid Bennu on April 29, 2020. The probe began the long journey back toward Earth on May 10, 2021.

Farewell, Bennu! NASA spacecraft leaves asteroid to bring pieces of space rock to Earth

By Mike Wall

The samples will land in Utah in September 2023.

Astrophotographer Sébastien Joly sent in a photo of a Taurid meteor captured over Lake Cerknica in Slovenia, on Nov. 10, 2015.

Surprise meteor shower! 'Finlay-id' 'shooting stars' will appear for the first time in 2021.

By Doris Elin Urrutia

A never-before-seen meteor shower will sprinkle tiny pieces of comet dust over Earth's southernmost regions later this year.

An artist's depiction of the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft firing its thrusters to head toward Earth.

NASA's asteroid-sampling mission will bid farewell to asteroid Bennu today

By Meghan Bartels

After more than two years circling a lumpy space rock called Bennu, it's finally time for NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft to head back to Earth with a full load precious cargo: pieces of an asteroid.

A map showing potential impact sites of the hypothetical asteroid 2021 PDC, which scientists created to spur interdisciplinary conversations about planetary defense.

How did you spend your week? NASA pretended to crash an asteroid into Earth.

By Meghan Bartels

More than a year into a very real crisis, experts gathered virtually to confront a second emergency, a potential asteroid impact — but this disaster, fortunately, was entirely hypothetical.

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.

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