A full disc view of Bennu, whoing its surface littered with giant boulders.

Asteroids, Comets & Meteors

Our solar system's small bodies pack big surprises.

Meteors

Bits of debris that fall through the atmosphere.

Seal shows a guard in a castle turret using a telescope to watch out for asteroids and comets in the sky.

Overview

Asteroids, comets, and meteors are chunks of rock, ice, and metal left over from the formation of our solar system about 4.6 billion years ago.

Asteroids and Comets

Latest Count
For the most up to date count of asteroids, and comets in our solar system, please visit NASA/JPL's Solar System Dynamics website.

Explore the 3D world of asteroids, comets, and NEOs. Learn about past and future missions, tracking and predicting orbits, and close approaches to Earth.

NASA/JPL-Caltech

Latest News

Article

4 min read

Lab Work Digs Into Gullies Seen on Giant Asteroid Vesta by NASA’s Dawn

Article

4 min read

NASA Researchers Discover More Dark Comets

An illustration showing the orbits of four newly named asteroids.

3 min read

Four Asteroids Named After NASA Volunteers

Article3 months ago

Artist’s concept of Centaur 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1 as seen from the side against a dark, mostly starless swath of space. The rocky, bilobed nucleus is toward the right and resembles the simplified shape of a peanut. The left side of the centaur is partially illuminated by the Sun, which is off-screen, revealing the nucleus’ light brown surface. Four jets of gas, depicted as translucent cones of white, emanate from various points on the Centaur’s surface and extend beyond the frame: two emanate upward from the top, one jet spews from the bottom and extends downward, and one jet emanates from the left side of the nucleus and extends toward the left. A label in the bottom left corner reads “Artist’s Concept.”

7 min read

NASA’s Webb Reveals Unusual Jets of Volatile Gas from Icy Centaur 29P

Article4 months ago

6 min read

Work Is Under Way on NASA’s Next-Generation Asteroid Hunter

Article5 months ago

Asteroid and Comet Resources

Explore this page for a curated collection of resources, including activities that can be done at home, as well as videos and animations, images, handouts, and online interactives. This resource package is suitable for educators, students, and anyone interested in learning more about asteroids and comets!

Learn More

Two images of two gray colored asteroids. One of the space rocks is much larger.

A pair of stereoscopic images of the asteroid Dinkinesh and its satellite, Selam, created using data collected by the L’LORRI camera on NASA's Lucy spacecraft in the minutes around closest approach on Nov. 1, 2023.

NASA/Goddard/SwRI/Johns Hopkins APL/NOIRLab for the original images/Brian May/Claudia Manzoni for stereo processing of the images.

More Resources

Lucy Mission Resource Package
Activities that can be done at home as well as videos, animations, stories, and articles.
For Kids: Asteroids, Comets & Meteors
Facts and activities for K-4 explorers.
NASA Photojournal: Small Bodies
Shooting stars are actually bits of debris that fall through our atmosphere.