Location: Scattered around the solar system, with most in the
asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter
Diameter: From about 1/2 mile to hundreds of miles across
Number: Estimated at ~100,000
Asteroids are made of rock and metal.
The Galileo spacecraft took pictures of this asteroid, Gaspra, in
1991 on its way to Jupiter.
Asteroids are large rocks that orbit the Sun. There are thousands of
asteroids that travel around the Sun in a belt between the orbits of the
planets Mars and Jupiter. Asteroids are usually so small and far away
that they are difficult to see. Ceres, the largest asteroid, is nearly
560 miles across. Gaspra is brown and grey.