- In Depth | Asteroids – NASA Solar System Exploration
Asteroids range in size from Vesta – the largest at about 329 miles (530 kilometers) in diameter – to bodies that are less than 33 feet (10 meters) across The total mass of all the asteroids combined is less than that of Earth's Moon
- Asteroids, Comets Meteors - NASA Solar System Exploration
Our solar system’s small bodies – asteroids, comets, and meteors – pack big surprises These chunks of rock, ice, and metal are leftovers from the formation of our solar system 4 6 billion years ago
- In Depth | Perseids – NASA Solar System Exploration
Meteors come from leftover comet particles and bits from broken asteroids When comets come around the Sun, they leave a dusty trail behind them Every year Earth passes through these debris trails, which allows the bits to collide with our atmosphere and disintegrate to create fiery and colorful streaks in the sky The Comet
- The Trojan Asteroids: Keys to Many Locks - NASA Solar System Exploration
The Trojan asteroids of Jupiter lie at the crux of several of the most interesting outstanding issues regarding the formation and evolution of the Solar System We present science questions centering on the Trojans are lay out recommendations for their future study and exploration
- In Depth | Our Solar System – NASA Solar System Exploration
Our solar system consists of our star, the Sun, and everything bound to it by gravity – the planets Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune; dwarf planets such as Pluto; dozens of moons; and millions of asteroids, comets, and meteoroids
- Make Your Own Awesome Asteroid - NASA Solar System Exploration
Melted asteroids were hot enough for molten rocks to separate and allow heavy iron-nickel to sink to the core These are known as “differentiated” asteroids
- Planet Compare - NASA Solar System Exploration
NASA’s real-time science encyclopedia of deep space exploration Our scientists and far-ranging robots explore the wild frontiers of our solar system
- In Depth | Oumuamua – NASA Solar System Exploration
The first known interstellar object to visit our solar system, 1I 2017 U1 ‘Oumuamua, was discovered Oct 19, 2017 by the University of Hawaii’s Pan-STARRS1 telescope, funded by NASA’s Near-Earth Object Observations (NEOO) Program, which finds and tracks asteroids and comets in Earth’s neighborhood
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