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Asteroids, also called minor planets or planetoids, are heavenly bodies composed of rock or metal. These irregularly shaped objects orbit the sun, as does the Earth, with the majority of asteroids located in an orbital path between the planets Mars and Jupiter. Asteroids are devoid of any atmosphere. Of the approximately 40,000 known... more »
Asteroids are chunks of rocks in space that orbit the Sun in our solar system. In general, they are small, but some may be quite large. Ceres, the first one discovered, is about a quarter the diameter of our own Moon. All the known asteroids in the solar system would just about equal the mass of the Moon. Although asteroids orbit the... more »
The solar system is comprised of the Sun and all the objects that are orbiting it due to its gravitational influence. This includes the planets and their satellites, smaller "dwarf" planets, asteroids, meteors and comets along with countless other space debris. The solar system is constantly having new objects added to it as... more »
If you're planning an outer space birthday party, you're in luck. Check out these amazing plans for a party featuring space-themed party supplies, decorations, foods, drinks and games. So gather up your closest friends and begin to plan you space birthday party today. more »
When it's time to throw your boy a celebration worthy of his status in your heart, choose a theme that will "wow" his guests. You may have reached a point when the typical cartoon-character-overload party isn't going to cut it anymore. If so, there is a wide range of unique and exciting ideas you can select from to throw a stellar... more »
Many gamers have fond memories of dropping an endless supply of quarters into the Pac-Man or...
Asteroids is one of those games that is just plain fun. It sticks with you, you yearn for it and you always want to get a higher score than last... more »
The asteroid belt is an area between Jupiter and Mars that contains as many as 1 million chunks of rock and metal called asteroids. These bodies... more »
The techno savvy are no longer considered the nerds of the world—it's more that they're the cool kids that rule the world! Today, the tag "geek"... more »
Super Mario Galaxy is the Wii's sequel to Mario Brothers. You need nine stars to enter the Fountain Dome and begin the Space Junk Galaxy. In order... more »
Asteroids are among the most numerous objects in the solar system, with the current number (as of 2007) above 1.1 million total asteroids. Even... more »
Asteroids, sometimes called minor planets or planetoids, are small Solar System bodies in orbit around the Sun, especially in the inner Solar System; they are smaller than planets but larger than meteoroids. The term "asteroid" has historically been applied primarily to minor planets of the inner Solar System, as the outer Solar System was poorly known when it came into common usage. The distinction between asteroids and comets is made on visual appearance: Comets show a perceptible coma while asteroids do not.
Terminology
Traditionally, small bodies orbiting the Sun were classified as asteroids, comets or meteoroids, with anything smaller than ten metres across being called a meteoroid. The term "asteroid" is somewhat ill-defined. It never had a formal definition, with the broader term minor planet being preferred by the International Astronomical Union until 2006, when the term "small Solar System body" (SSSB) was introduced to cover both minor planets and comets. The 2006 definition of SSSB says that they "include most of the Solar System asteroids, most Trans-Neptunian Objects (TNOs), comets, and other small bodies". (IAU) Other languages prefer "planetoid" (Greek for "planet-like"), and this term is occasionally used in English for the larger asteroids. The word "planetesimal" has a similar meaning, but refers specifically to the small building blocks of the planets that existed at the time the Solar System was forming. The term "planetule" was coined by the geologist William Daniel Conybeare to describe minor planets, but is not in common use.
When found, asteroids were seen as a class of objects distinct from comets, and there was no unified term for the two until "small Solar System body" was coined in 2006. The main difference between an asteroid and a comet is that a comet shows a coma due to sublimation of near surface ices by solar radiation. A few objects have ended up being dual-listed because they were first classified read more at » http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asteroid
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