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 …

Dec 24, 2025 · 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 …

Apr 25, 2025 · Asteroids, sometimes called minor planets, are rocky, airless remnants left over from the early formation of our solar system about 4.6 billion years ago. Most asteroids can be …

6 days ago · The newly discovered asteroid 2025 MN45, illustrated here, is the fastest spinning asteroid larger than 500 meters ever found. It spins once every 112 seconds. NSF-DOE Vera …

5 days ago · With data collected months before its main survey is due to begin, the Vera C. Rubin Observatory is already upending what we thought we knew about asteroids. In the Main Belt of …

Jan 7, 2026 · In its preliminary data release, taken from just seven nights of observations, the powerful Vera C. Rubin Observatory has discovered an enormous, fast-spinning asteroid that …

Jan 8, 2026 · Scientists find ‘record-breaking’ asteroid nearly the size of eight football fields. Is it close to Earth? The asteroid was discovered using data from the world’s largest camera

Jan 8, 2026 · The Vera Rubin Observatory has found 19 new "superfast rotator" asteroids, including the fastest-spinning big space rock ever found.

Dec 3, 2025 · These are the planetary defenders who are on the hunt for the next big asteroid that could impact Earth — and how we might stop it.

Asteroids are rocky celestial bodies that orbit the Sun, but do not meet the requirements to be classified as a planet. The term asteroid covers a very broad range of Solar System objects, …