Asteroids — Everything you need to know

After 10 months flying in space, NASA’s planetary defense technology, DART, crashed into an asteroid and changed its route. DART’s impact with the asteroid Dimorphos demonstrates a viable mitigation technique for protecting the planet from an Earth-bound asteroid or comet.

“At its core, DART represents an unprecedented success for planetary defense, but it is also a mission of unity with a real benefit for all humanity,” — NASA Admin

What are asteroids?

Asteroids are small, rocky objects that orbit the Sun. There are millions of asteroids in our solar system, and they range in size from a few meters to hundreds of kilometers across. Most asteroids are found in a region of space called the asteroid belt, which lies between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. Most asteroids are made of materials that formed when the solar system was young and still forming. They are thought to be leftovers from the formation of planets like Earth. Asteroids can be made of different types of rock, including iron, stone, or a combination of both. Asteroids can sometimes come close to Earth’s orbit. When they get close enough, they can be pulled in by Earth’s gravity and become orbiting satellites (moons). We have two known moons that were once asteroids: Ceres, the largest asteroid and centerpiece of the asteroid belt; and Vesta, the…