By Sakshi Sah
Published Apr 22, 2025

Hindustan Times
Trending

Photo Credit: NASA

8 things you should know about space rocks

Asteroids are rocky, airless worlds. They orbit the Sun and come in many sizes, from small like a car to big like a city.

What are asteroids?

Photo Credit: NASA

Some asteroids are metal. Others are rich in carbon and look black like coal.

What are asteroids made of?

Photo Credit: NASA

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Comets also orbit the Sun. They are like dirty snowballs, made of ice, rock, and dust.

What are comets?

Photo Credit: NASA

Meteoroids are bits of rock and metal in space. They come from asteroids, comets, moons, and planets.

What are meteoroids?

Photo Credit: NASA

When meteoroids fall through Earth’s air, they heat up and glow. We call them meteors or "shooting stars."

What are meteors?

Photo Credit: NASA

Meteor showers happen when lots of meteors appear at once. They happen when Earth moves through trails left by comets.

What are meteor showers?

Photo Credit: NASA

Meteorites are pieces of space rock that survive the trip through the atmosphere and land on Earth.

What are meteorites?

Photo Credit: NASA

Dwarf planets are small worlds. They are just as exciting as bigger planets.

What are dwarf planets?

Photo Credit: NASA

The Kuiper Belt is a ring of icy objects beyond Neptune, far away from Earth.

What is the Kuiper Belt?

Photo Credit: NASA