An asteroid is a minor planet —an object larger than a meteoroid (thus 1 meter or larger) that is neither a planet nor an identified comet —that orbits within the inner Solar System or is co-orbital with Jupiter …

NASA’s latest alert about a near‑Earth asteroid has revived a familiar mix of anxiety and curiosity about what would happen if a space rock really were on a collision course with our planet ...

2 days ago · You are looking at a real-time visualization of every known asteroid or comet that is classified as a Near-Earth Object (NEO). With asteroids represented as blue points, and comets as …

Jan 13, 2026 · Asteroid, any of a host of small bodies, about 1,000 km (600 miles) or less in diameter, that orbit the Sun primarily between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter in a nearly flat ring called the …

Jan 23, 2026 · NPR's Ailsa Chang speaks to astronomer Sarah Greenstreet about her team's new discovery of the fastest-spinning large asteroid known to man.

2 days ago · Learn about 2024 YR4, the asteroid with a 4 percent chance of hitting the Moon in 2032, and the possible timeline of effects that could follow.

Dec 1, 2025 · Discover the rocky objects orbiting our sun with the latest asteroid news, features and articles.

There are three general types of asteroids: carbonaceous, stony, and metallic. They are called C-type, S-type, and M-type asteroids. The names are based on the type of material believed to make up …

2 days ago · A nearly 60 meter Apollo-class near-Earth asteroid, 2024 YR4 was spotted in 2024 whose path crosses both Earth’s and the Moon’s orbits. Initially it was speculated to impact Earth however a …

Jul 28, 2023 · Using NASA definitions, an asteroid is "A relatively small, inactive, rocky body orbiting the sun," while a comet is a "relatively small, at times active, object whose ices can vaporize in...