Best Asteroid

Rheasilvia occupies a large part of the southern hemisphere of Vesta, an asteroid with a differentiated rocky interior. Approximately 500 kilometers across, the impact basin is remarkable for its size relative to Vesta itself. A prominent central mountain rises inside it, providing a visible record...

Ceres is a unique dwarf planet residing within the asteroid belt. It’s the largest object in this region and classified as C-type, meaning it’s rich in water ice. The Dawn mission provided unprecedented data about its composition and geological features. Scientists study Ceres to understand the earl...

Orbiting between Mars and Jupiter, 16 Psyche is a large main-belt asteroid classified as M-type. Observations indicate a substantial metal component, including iron-nickel material, but its exact mixture of metal and rock remains a research question. Its resemblance to material associated with plane...

Between Mars and Jupiter, 4 Vesta is the second-most massive body in the main asteroid belt after Ceres. Its V-type classification reflects a basaltic surface, connecting it to processes that altered early rocky bodies. NASA's Dawn spacecraft studied Vesta from orbit, providing evidence about its ge...

The Hayabusa2 mission, developed by JAXA, successfully collected and returned samples from the asteroid Ryugu. This active space mission deployed a spacecraft to study the near-Earth asteroid, analyzing its composition and surface features. The returned material provides invaluable data for scientis...

Rather than a single dominant asteroid with a tiny satellite, 90 Antiope consists of two bodies of similar dimensions orbiting one another. Discovered in 1866, this main-belt system belongs to the C-type category associated with dark, carbon-rich asteroids. Its paired structure is the defining featu...

Two small moons orbit 87 Sylvia, a large P-type asteroid in the main belt between Mars and Jupiter. Together, the primary body and its satellites form a triple system. Sylvia became the first asteroid identified with two moons, making it a useful example of how a small solar-system body can support...

The OSIRIS-REx spacecraft undertook a NASA mission to study the asteroid Bennu. Launched in 2016, it successfully collected a sample from the near-Earth object and returned it to Earth in 2023. This represents the first U.S. mission to acquire an extraterrestrial material sample. Scientists utilize...

Within the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, 10 Hygiea stands out for its large size and unusually rounded shape. Discovered in 1849, it is the fourth largest asteroid by volume and the principal member of the Hygiea family. Its dark, C-type classification connects it with carbon-rich mat...

Discovered in 1852 by Hermann Goldschmidt, 21 Lutetia is a rocky asteroid in the main belt between Mars and Jupiter. It has been classified as M-type, but that spectral category does not establish a water-rich composition. Its physical makeup is more complicated than a simple label suggests, making...

Among the large bodies in the main asteroid belt, 52 Europa is a dark C-type asteroid orbiting between Mars and Jupiter. Hermann Goldschmidt discovered it in 1858. Its classification associates it with carbon-rich material, rather than establishing that it has an icy surface. Its substantial size ma...

NASA’s DART mission successfully impacted the asteroid Dimorphos in October 2022. This marked the first demonstration of kinetic impactor technology intended for planetary defense. The mission provided valuable data on altering an asteroid's orbit and is crucial for developing strategies to mitigate...

Built for PlayStation Vita by Finnish developer Housemarque, Super Stardust Delta translates the series' arcade shooting into a handheld format. Its stages wrap around spherical worlds, so movement and incoming threats follow the surface of a planet rather than a flat arena. Destroying asteroids, sw...

24 Themis is a substantial main-belt asteroid within the Themis family. Discovered in 1853, it’s notable as the first asteroid confirmed to possess water ice on its surface. This C-type asteroid offers valuable insights into the composition and evolution of early solar system objects. Scientists stu...

The Last Policeman is a mystery novel by Ben H. Winters published in 2012. Set in pre-apocalyptic America as an asteroid approaches Earth, it follows detective Hank Palace investigating a suspicious death while society collapses around him. The novel explores themes of purpose, duty, and meaning in...

The NEAR Shoemaker mission, a NASA project, studied the near-Earth asteroid 433 Eros. Launched in 1998, it successfully orbited Eros for nearly three years, gathering detailed data about its composition and structure. This spacecraft achieved a historic first by landing on Eros’s surface in 2001, pr...

The Hayabusa mission, developed by JAXA, successfully retrieved microscopic samples from the asteroid Itokawa in 2010. This marked a historic first, as it was the initial space mission to return material collected from an extraterrestrial body. Scientists utilize these samples to study the compositi...

The Deep Space 1 mission, undertaken by NASA, investigated Comet Hale-Bopp in 1998. This spacecraft demonstrated the viability of ion propulsion for deep space travel. It successfully tested an electric propulsion system while observing a comet and later an asteroid. The mission provided valuable da...

World of Trouble is a science fiction mystery novel published in 2014 by author Ben H. Winters. It serves as the final installment in the Last Policeman trilogy, a series set in the months leading up to a catastrophic asteroid collision with Earth. The story follows former police detective Hank Pala...

15 Eunomia is a large asteroid located in the main asteroid belt, discovered by Italian astronomer Annibale de Gasparis in 1851. Named after the Greek goddess of law and order, it is officially classified as the largest S-type asteroid in the solar system. Eunomia is the namesake and largest body of...

22 Kalliope is a large M-type asteroid situated in the main asteroid belt, discovered by English astronomer John Russell Hind in 1852. Named after the Greek muse of epic poetry, it features a diameter of roughly 160 kilometers, making it one of the more massive bodies in the belt. In 2001, astronome...

2 Pallas is the second-largest asteroid in the main asteroid belt, discovered by the German astronomer Heinrich Wilhelm Matthias Olbers in 1802. Classified as a B-type asteroid, it is composed of silicate and carbon compounds, giving it a dark surface. Pallas follows a highly inclined orbit, tilted...

"Countdown City" is a 2013 science fiction and mystery novel written by Ben H. Winters. It is the second installment in "The Last Policeman" trilogy, which is set in a pre-apocalyptic world awaiting the impact of a massive asteroid. The story follows former police detective Hank Palace as he attempt...

65 Cybele is a large main-belt asteroid discovered on March 8, 1861, by the German astronomer Ernst Tempel. It is classified as a C-type (carbonaceous) asteroid and has an estimated mean diameter of approximately 287 kilometers, making it one of the largest objects in the asteroid belt. The asteroid...

93 Minerva is a large, dark C-type asteroid located in the main asteroid belt, discovered by American astronomer James Craig Watson in 1867. Named after the Roman goddess of wisdom, the celestial body has a diameter of approximately 140 kilometers and follows an orbital path between Mars and Jupiter...

Life as We Knew It is a 2006 young adult science fiction novel by Susan Beth Pfeffer. The narrative is structured as the diary entries of a teenage girl named Miranda, documenting her family's struggle to survive after an asteroid hits the moon. This catastrophic collision alters the moon's orbit, t...

NEO Surveyor is a planned infrared space telescope developed by NASA, with a scheduled launch in 2027. Designed to operate in a heliocentric orbit, the mission aims to detect, track, and characterize potentially hazardous near-Earth objects, including asteroids and comets. By utilizing infrared sens...

45 Eugenia is a large, dark main-belt asteroid discovered by Hermann Goldschmidt in 1857 and named for Eugénie de Montijo, wife of Napoleon III. It is a carbon-rich C-type body with an irregular shape and occupies the region between Mars and Jupiter. Eugenia became notable in 1998 when observations...

With a global firestorm approaching Western Australia, a man sets out to spend his remaining time at a party. His plan changes when he rescues a young girl searching for her father. Nathan Phillips and Angourie Rice lead These Final Hours, a 2013 Australian apocalyptic thriller written and directed...