What is the difference?

• An asteroid is a rocky object that orbits the Sun. Asteroids are smaller than a planet, but they are larger than the pebble-size objects we call meteoroids. 
• Comets are small icy dirtballs that orbit the Sun; comets are made of ice and dust while asteroids are made of rock).
• A meteor is a space rock—or meteoroid—that enters Earth's atmosphere, as it – burns up upon entering Earth’s atmosphere, it creating a streak of light in the sky (often called "shooting stars"). When Earth encounters many meteoroids at once, we call it a meteor shower.
• If a meteoroid survives its trip through Earth’s atmosphere and lands on the Earth’s surface, it is called a meteorite.

Banner images above, left to right:
Asteroid Bennu (NASA),
Fireball Meteor over Groningen the Netherlands (Robert Mikaelyan), and Comet 67P (ESA)

Now Discover all Our Near-Earth Object Asteroids and Comets using NASA Eyes.

https://eyes.nasa.gov/apps/asteroids/

Through the NASA’s Eyes on Asteroids visualization tool, you can now explore the asteroids and comets that approach Earth’s orbital neighborhood – and the spacecraft that visit these objects – with a click or a swipe. Thousands of asteroids and dozens of comets are discovered every single year, some of which – called near-Earth objects (NEOs) – follow orbits that pass through the inner solar system. With their numbers rising daily, these objects are tracked carefully by NASA-funded astronomers in case any might pose an impact threat to our planet. The daily-updated Eyes on Asteroids depicts the orbits of every known NEO, providing detailed information on those objects. Using the slider at the bottom of the screen, you can travel quickly forward and backward through time to see their orbital motions.

Featured NASA Missions and Programs

OSIRIS-Rex

• OSIRIS-Rex traveled to near-Earth asteroid Bennu and brought back a small sample back to Earth for study
  https://www.nasa.gov/osiris-rex

• Resources:

  • OSIRIS-REx mission website

  • OSIRIS-REx mission resources collection

  • NASA Scientific Visualization Studio: OSIRIS-REx Gallery

  • NASA OSIRIS-REx GIPHY Collection

  • University of Arizona OSIRIS-REx Gallery

  • NASA In-depth: Asteroid Bennu

  • OSIRIS-REx Astrobiology Heroes Poster 

  • Astrobiology graphic histories (Issue 3 features OSIRIS-REx)

  • Astrobiology Coloring and Drawing Pages

  • Sample from Bennu - Live and Interactive Planetarium Learning Resources (NASA Connects log in needed)

Psyche

• Psyche mission to a unique metal asteroid orbiting the Sun between Mars and Jupiter launched October 13, 2023 and is scheduled to arrive at the Psyche asteroid in August 2029
• Resources

  • NASA Psyche mission website and blog

  • Arizona State University Psyche mission website

  • NASA Psyche mission resources collection

  • NASA Psyche mission YouTube playlist

  • NASA JPL Psyche mission Photojournal

• Resources for educators:

  • Psyche lessons for educators

  • Psyche projects for kids 

  • Asteroid lessons for educators

  • Asteroid projects for kids

  • NASA’s Eyes on Asteroids software

Lucy

• Launched in 2021, Lucy is visiting the Trojan Asteroids which share Jupiter's orbit around the Sun:
  • Mission: https://www.nasa.gov/lucy
  • Mission: http://lucy.swri.edu
  • Lucy’s Journey animated video series https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_8hVmWnP_O0NJF7vd2ASOsqiaFURif_Z

NASA Asteroid Watch

• NASA Asteroid Watch tracks Near-Earth Object (NEO) comets and asteroids that drift close to Earth's orbital neighborhood:
   https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/asteroid-watch

Near-Earth Asteroid Scout (NEA Scout) 

• Near-Earth Asteroid Scout (NEA Scout) is a small CubeSat spacecraft designed to fly by and return data from a near-Earth asteroid
  https://www.nasa.gov/content/nea-scout

Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART)

• Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) is a planetary defense-driven test to change the motion of an asteroid in space. (DART’s target asteroid is NOT a threat to Earth. DART is a test. There are no known asteroid threats to Earth).
  • activities and videos: https://science.nasa.gov/missions/dart/resources
  • Museum Informal Education Alliance resources (free log-in required)
    https://informal.jpl.nasa.gov/museum/content/dart-impact-day-resources-informal-educators
  • https://www.nasa.gov/planetarydefense/dart
  • https://dart.jhuapl.edu
  • https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/edu/news/2022/9/22/the-science-behind-nasas-first-attempt-at-redirecting-an-asteroid

Hayabusa2 Mission

• Hayabusa2 is a Japanese spacecraft that studied asteroid Ryugu, collected samples, and brought them to Earth for analysis.
  • https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/hayabusa-2/in-depth/ 
  • https://www.isas.jaxa.jp/en/missions/spacecraft/current/hayabusa2.html