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

rows of greyish lumps

Astronomers discovered something strange about 'potentially hazardous' asteroid Phaethon

By Stefanie Waldek published

The asteroid Phaethon's rotational period is decreasing, which is rare for space rocks.

spacecraft with two rocks against black background

NASA's asteroid scout zips past Earth today on 1st launch anniversary

By Meghan Bartels published

A deep-space mission is celebrating the first anniversary of its launch from Earth by zipping closer to the planet than the International Space Station's orbit.

bird's-eye view of an arc of steep rock in light brown earth

Largest asteroid ever to hit Earth was twice as big as the rock that killed off the dinosaurs

By Harry Baker published

New research suggests that the asteroid responsible for forming Earth's largest impact crater was even bigger than researchers had previously estimated.

a bright blob surrounded by rays, including one thick one reaching far to the right

NASA's DART impact changed asteroid's orbit forever in planetary defense test

By Meghan Bartels last updated

A dramatic asteroid crash that slammed a NASA probe into a space rock in a first-of-its-kind test to defend our planet was more effective than scientists dreamed possible.

debris flying from bright impact site

Could an asteroid destroy Earth?

By Brandon Specktor published

When large asteroids hit the Earth, they trigger mass extinctions and climate chaos. But could an asteroid destroy the planet entirely?

on the right, a shouting t rex-like dinosaur; a fiery rock streaks through the sky

Asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs also triggered 'mega earthquake'

By Robert Lea last updated

The asteroid that struck Earth and triggered the mass extinction that wiped out the dinosaurs also caused an earthquake that shook the planet for weeks or even months, according to new research.

rock in front of photo of earth

Rare dark-streaked meteorites may come from a 'potentially hazardous' asteroid

By Robert Lea published

Strange, dark-veined meteorites rained down on Earth when a fireball exploded over Chelyabinsk, Russia, in February 2013.

spacecraft with two round arrays passing in front of two rocks

The asteroid targets of this NASA mission are turning out to be very strange

By Meghan Bartels published

NASA's Lucy spacecraft still has five years of trekking through space before it sees its first Trojan asteroid, but mission scientists are already getting a sense of what these rocks look like.

bright patch at center of image with long bright line to the right

DART impact gave asteroid Dimorphos a debris tail thousands of miles long (stunning photo)

By Robert Lea published

artist's depiction of dinosaurs watching fireball

Asteroid that killed the dinosaurs also triggered global tsunami

By Robert Lea published

The asteroid that struck Earth 66 million years ago, wiping out much of the planet's plant and animal life (most famously the dinosaurs), also triggered a worldwide tsunami with mile-high waves.

drawing of spacecraft hovering above rocky surface

Near-Earth asteroid Ryugu was born in the outer solar system 4 billion years ago

By Robert Lea published

In 2019, the Hayabusa2 spacecraft collected samples from the asteroid Ryugu. Now, an analysis of these fragments has revealed Ryugu's history.

A series of three images from the Hubble Space Telescope showing a plume of ejecta in blue from the DART impact.

DART asteroid crash seen by James Webb, Hubble space telescopes (photos)

By Tereza Pultarova last updated

The James Webb Space Telescope and its older counterpart Hubble photographed the impact of NASA's asteroid-smashing DART probe into the space rock Dimorphos on Monday (Sept. 26).

Europe's Hera spacecraft accompanied by two cubesats will investigate the battered asteroid Dimorphos in detail in 2027.

Asteroid-smash aftermath: Why Europe is sending a probe to DART-battered Dimorphos

By Tereza Pultarova last updated

More than four years after DART's collision with the asteroid Dimorphos, Europe's Hera mission will help validate the space rock deflection experiment.

a rock against a space background with Earth and moon in background

Evidence of dinosaur-killing asteroid impact found on the moon

By Robert Lea published

Lunar glass reveals that large meteorite strikes on Earth, like the impact that killed the dinosaurs, were not isolated events.

Asteroid Dimorphos is larger than Rome's Colosseum.

NASA's DART asteroid impact won't make Dimorphos hit Earth — but here's what would happen if it did

By Tereza Pultarova published

NASA's DART mission didn't nudge its target asteroid toward Earth, but there could be other space rocks on a collision course with Earth.

two bright blobs, one surrounded by wispy rays

Behold the 1st images of DART's wild asteroid crash!

By Meghan Bartels published

DART truly made a mess last night.

A sequence of images showing the brightening of asteroid Didymos immediately after the impact of NASA's DART spacecraft.

Astronomers stunned as binary asteroid Didymos-Dimorphos brightens after DART space rock impact

By Tereza Pultarova last updated

Astronomers watched in awe as binary asteroid Didymos brightened up immediately after the impact of NASA's DART mission on Monday (Sept. 26).

two grey lumps against black background. Didymos is on the left and dimorphos on the right.

Didymos binary asteroid system: NASA's target for DART

By Vicky Stein published

Reference Didymos is a binary asteroid system that NASA's DART mission visited during the agency's first planetary defense mission.

Artist's illustration showing the DART spacecraft approaching Dimorphos.

NASA's DART asteroid-smashing mission: The ultimate guide

By Daisy Dobrijevic last updated

Reference NASA's DART mission was the first to test asteroid deflection for planetary defense by smashing a spacecraft into an asteroid. Explore the mission here.

The last photo Earth received from the DART spacecraft on Sept. 26, 2022.

Wow! Telescopes spot DART asteroid impact in deep space (videos)

By Mike Wall published

Telescopes here on Earth captured the DART asteroid probe's spectacular deep-space death.