Image: Wikimedia Commons

asteroid

Minor planet of the inner Solar System; not a comet

Also known as planetoid · asteroids

Instance of: astronomical object type
Subclass of: minor planet
, small Solar System body
Part of: gravitationally bound system

Overview

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia · Read full article · Text CC BY-SA 4.0

An asteroid is a minor planet that orbits within the inner Solar System or is co-orbital with Jupiter. These objects are larger than a meteoroid and are neither a planet nor an identified comet. Asteroids are rocky, metallic, or icy bodies with no atmosphere, and are broadly classified into C-type (carbonaceous), M-type (metallic), or S-type (silicaceous). The size and shape of asteroids vary significantly, ranging from small rubble piles under a kilometer across to Ceres, a dwarf planet almost 1000 km in diameter. A body is classified as a comet, not an asteroid, if it shows a coma (tail) when warmed by solar radiation, although recent observations suggest a continuum between these types of bodies.

Overview

All data

85 statements · 9% with external sources · numbers in brackets are citations

Properties for this type: asteroid spectral type
Has use: colonization of the asteroid belt nature of statement: expected
asteroid mining nature of statement: expected
Different from: minor planet
Studied by: planetary science

On other databases

59 identifiers linking asteroid across the web's reference databases

Data quality

statements

externally sourced

Source last edited August 21, 2026. AIDB refreshes this page daily.

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Cite this page

AIDB. (2026). asteroid (Q3863). Retrieved from https://aidb.si/e/asteroid-Q3863