Overview | Asteroids, Comets & Meteors – NASA Solar System …
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 …
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 …
In Depth | Perseids – NASA Solar System Exploration
Fireballs are also brighter, with apparent magnitudes greater than -3. Viewing Tips The Perseids are best viewed in the Northern Hemisphere during the pre-dawn hours, though at times it is …
Videos | Galleries – NASA Solar System Exploration
Jan 9, 2025 · 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 …
21P/Giacobini-Zinner - 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.
Planet Compare – NASA Solar System Exploration
Jan 9, 2025 · 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 | Hayabusa 2 – NASA Solar System Exploration
Both missions explored carbonaceous asteroids, which are thought to be the rocky building blocks of the early solar system. These asteroids could help scientists better understand how the …
Small Bodies Community White Paper: Asteroids - NASA Solar …
This paper identifies the top-level science issues, mission priorities, research and technology needs, and programmatic balance for the exploration of Asteroids. This paper was organized …
In Depth | Earth's Moon – NASA Solar System Exploration
With too sparse an atmosphere to impede impacts, a steady rain of asteroids, meteoroids, and comets strikes the surface of the Moon, leaving numerous craters behind.