Asteroids
- Asteroids are primarily composed of rock and metal, with some containing organic compounds.
- They orbit the Sun in the asteroid belt, a region located between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, although some can be found in other parts of the solar system.
- Unlike comets, asteroids do not have a coma or tail because they lack volatile substances like water ice that would vaporize and form these features when heated by the Sun.
- Asteroids vary greatly in size, from small rocky bodies a few meters in diameter to large objects like Ceres, which is considered a dwarf planet.
- Some asteroids have irregular shapes, while others are more spherical.
- Notable asteroids include 1 Ceres, 4 Vesta, and 433 Eros.