Best Asteroid

Rheasilvia represents a colossal impact crater formed on the asteroid Vesta. Its immense size – approximately 500 kilometers across – makes it one of the largest impact basins observed within our solar system. The prominent central peak resulting from this ancient event provides valuable data for sc...

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...

Asteroid 16 Psyche is a large, metallic body residing within the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. It’s classified as an M-type asteroid, believed to be composed largely of iron-nickel material resembling a planetary core. NASA's Psyche mission aims to study this unique object, providing...

4 Vesta is a large asteroid residing within the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. It’s notable for being the second-most massive object in this region and possesses a differentiated internal structure – meaning it has layers of varying composition like crust, mantle, and core. The Dawn mi...

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...

Asteroid 90 Antiope is a medium-sized main-belt asteroid notable as a binary system. Discovered in 1866, it consists of two asteroids with similar dimensions that orbit one another. This system offers scientists valuable data regarding the dynamics and evolution of close binary objects within our so...

Asteroid 87 Sylvia is a substantial space rock residing within the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. It’s particularly recognized for hosting two small moons, making it the first asteroid definitively identified with such a satellite system. This p-type object, part of a binary system, of...

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...

The asteroid 10 Hygiea is a significant member of the Hygiea family within the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. It’s notable for being the fourth largest asteroid by volume and possesses a surprisingly rounded shape, as indicated by recent research. This discovery, made in 1849, raises q...

Asteroid 21 Lutetia is a medium-sized rocky body residing within the main asteroid belt. Discovered in 1852 by Hermann Goldschmidt, it’s notable as an M-type asteroid—characterized by reddish hues and water-rich compositions. The Rosetta spacecraft conducted a detailed flyby of 21 Lutetia in July 20...

52 Europa is a substantial asteroid residing within the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. Discovered in 1858 by Hermann Goldschmidt, it’s notable as one of the largest known C-type asteroids. These asteroids are characterized by their dark composition and icy nature. It presents scientifi...

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...

Super Stardust Delta is a twin-stick shooter developed by the Finnish studio Housemarque for the PlayStation Vita. Released near the handheld's launch, it adapts the series' spherical stages, asteroid destruction, score multipliers, and weapon switching to a portable format. The game uses the Vita's...

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...

These Final Hours is a 2013 Australian apocalyptic thriller written and directed by Zak Hilditch. The film stars Nathan Phillips as a self-obsessed man attempting to navigate the chaotic final hours before a global firestorm engulfs the planet, a journey complicated when he reluctantly rescues a you...