Asteroid GaspraRock and ice are the main ingredients of asteroids, comets and meteors. These flying rocks orbit the sun and sometimes come close enough to Earth to see. The Asteroid Gaspra.

Asteroids are made of rocky and/or iron-nickel material and most are found in an orbit between Mars and Jupiter. Most are pitted with impact craters and dust left from collisions with other objects in the solar system.

Asteroid Ida and DactylSome asteroids have other asteroids orbiting them as in the picture at right, the Asteroid Ida and its moon Dactyl.

A group of asteroids orbit the sun called Near-Earth Asteroids because they are somewhat close to the Earth and occasionally may cross Earth’s orbit. Could any hit the Earth? Click here for more about
Near-Earth Objects.

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Astronomy Information for Elementary Students.

Near-Earth Asteroid Rendezvous mission