Asteroids

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.