Asteroids, Comets & Meteors
Our solar system's small bodies pack outsized intrigue
Asteroids
Rocky leftovers from planet formation.
Comets
Cosmic snowballs of gas and dust.
Meteors
AKA "shooting stars," the spectacle of debris falling and burning through the atmosphere.
Planetary Defense
Protect Earth from impacts.
Overview
Asteroids, comets, and meteoroids are chunks of rock, ice, and metal left over from the formation of our solar system about 4.6 billion years ago.
NASA’s Psyche Mission Aces Mars Flyby, Targets Metal-Rich Asteroid
The spacecraft successfully maneuvered around Mars on May 15, speeding it up and setting its course for the main asteroid belt, where it will study the asteroid Psyche in 2029. The flyby also served as a training run, during which Psyche calibrated its instruments ahead of its asteroid encounter, while capturing unique views of the Red Planet.
Read ‘Psyche Aces Mars Flyby’ about NASA’s Psyche Mission Aces Mars Flyby, Targets Metal-Rich Asteroid
Mars Gives a Boost to the Psyche Mission
Watch the video to learn about the Psyche spacecraft, its mission, its target — a compelling metal-rich asteroid, also named Psyche — and why the Mars gravity assist was crucial to this journey.
Learn More About the Mars Encounter at the Psyche Mission BlogView the Psyche Flyby of Mars, With NASA’s ‘Eyes on the Solar System’
Use NASA's 3D interactive app to visualize the Psyche spacecraft during its journey. Relive the event, the May 15 gravity assist, when Psyche drew on Mars' gravitational pull to speed up and steer the spacecraft toward its destination in the asteroid belt. Or see where Psyche is right now, beyond Mars and en route to explore the intriguing metal-rich asteroid, also named Psyche, in 2029.
Eyes on Asteroids
NASA’s Hubble Detects First-Ever Spin Reversal of Tiny Comet
Astronomers using NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope have found evidence that the spinning of a small comet slowed and then reversed…
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Interstellar Comet, Passing Through the Solar System
Only the third known object to venture into our solar system from interstellar space, Comet 3I/ATLAS poses no threat to Earth, but is taking a tour past our celestial neighbors. NASA has been studying the icy visitor with space telescopes including Hubble, Webb, and SPHEREx. The comet passed Mars on Oct. 3, continued its trajectory to pass behind the Sun in late October, and will venture past Jupiter in March 2026, on its way out of our solar system.
Learn More About Comet 3I/ATLASNASA’s DART Mission Changed Orbit of Asteroid Didymos Around Sun
New research reveals that when NASA’s DART (Double Asteroid Redirection Test) spacecraft intentionally impacted the asteroid moonlet Dimorphos in September…
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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!
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