Astronomers track asteroid 99942 Apophis as it moves through space and prepares for an extremely close approach to Earth expected in 2029, drawing global scientific attention and careful monitoring.
An asteroid is a minor planet —an object larger than a meteoroid (thus 1 meter or larger) that is neither a planet nor an identified comet —that orbits within the inner Solar System or is co-orbital with Jupiter (Trojan asteroids). Asteroids are rocky, metallic, or icy bodies with no atmosphere, and are broadly classified into C-type (carbonaceous), M-type (metallic), or S-type ...
Explore the 3D world of Asteroids, Comets and NEOs. Learn about past and future missions, tracking and predicting orbits, and close approaches to Earth.
Asteroid, any of a host of small bodies, about 1,000 km (600 miles) or less in diameter, that orbit the Sun primarily between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter in a nearly flat ring called the asteroid belt. Hundreds of thousands of asteroids are known.
An asteroid the size of three football fields will pass near Earth in three years, giving scientists a rare chance to study a colossal space rock from close range. Named Apophis — after the ...
"God of chaos" asteroid will pass close to Earth in 3 years, NASA says
NASA has confirmed exactly when a rare, colossal-sized asteroid will hurtle past Earth, coming closer to our planet than any other celestial object of its size in human history. The asteroid ...
NASA announces exact date 'God of Chaos' asteroid will pass close to ...