The study of asteroids, comets, and other small bodies in the solar system, including their formation and evolution and their potential as resources for human exploration.
Asteroids: Small rocky objects that orbit the Sun, most commonly found in the asteroid belt located between Mars and Jupiter.
Comets: Small icy objects that have highly elliptical orbits and are known for their spectacular tails when passing near the Sun.
Meteors and Meteorites: Small pieces of rock or metal that enter Earth's atmosphere and burn up due to friction, or that survive and make it to the ground, respectively.
Kuiper Belt Objects (KBOs): Small, icy objects that orbit beyond the orbit of Neptune, including dwarf planets such as Pluto.
Oort Cloud: A theoretical cloud of comets and other icy bodies thought to exist in the outermost reaches of the Solar System.
Trans-Neptunian Objects (TNOs): Objects that orbit beyond the orbit of Neptune but are not classified as KBOs.
Dwarf Planets: A subset of minor bodies, typically large enough to have a round shape, but not big enough to be considered full-fledged planets.
Spectroscopy: The study of how light interacts with matter, including the analysis of the light reflected by minor bodies to learn about their composition.
Remote Sensing: The use of instruments such as telescopes and spacecraft to study minor bodies from a distance.
Impact Cratering: The study of how minor bodies impact the surfaces of other objects in the Solar System, including moons and planets.
Space Missions: The exploration of minor bodies through spacecraft, such as NASA's missions to asteroids Bennu and Ryugu.
Disruption and Disintegration: The study of how minor bodies can be disrupted or disintegrate due to factors such as collisions, tidal forces, or outgassing.
Near Earth Objects (NEOs): Objects with orbits that bring them near Earth, potentially posing a threat to our planet.
Planetary Defense: Strategies and technologies designed to prevent or mitigate the effects of asteroid impacts on Earth.
Asteroids: Rocky objects orbiting the sun, mostly found in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.
Comets: Icy bodies that orbit the sun, often with a distinct "tail" caused by outgassing as they approach the sun.
Kuiper Belt Objects: Small icy bodies orbiting beyond Neptune, in the Kuiper Belt.
Oort Cloud Objects: Spherical shells of cometary bodies surrounding the solar system, thought to be the source of long-period comets.
Trojans: Asteroids caught in stable gravitational "lobes" ahead of or behind a planet in its orbit around the sun.
Centaurs: Icy bodies, mostly from the Kuiper Belt, that orbit between Jupiter and Neptune.
Trans-Neptunian Objects: Objects orbiting beyond Neptune, including Kuiper Belt Objects, scattered disk objects, and others.
Plutinos: Kuiper Belt Objects that have a 2:3 resonance with Neptune, meaning they complete two orbits of the sun for every three of Neptune's orbits.
Scattered Disk Objects: Icy bodies in highly elliptical orbits, often with inclinations that take them well out of the plane of the solar system.
Damocloids: Rare, elongated bodies that orbit the sun and have a similar orbit to that of comet 5335 Damocles.
Man-made Objects: Artificial satellites, rocket stages, and other debris orbiting the Earth.
Interstellar Objects: Objects that have come from outside the solar system and are passing through, such as the recent discovery of 'Oumuamua.
Meteoroids: Small rocks or fragments of debris in space, often formed from comets or asteroids, that can cause meteor showers when they enter Earth's atmosphere.
Dust Particles: Tiny fragments of matter in space, often created by collisions between larger bodies, that can be observed as "zodiacal light" or as part of meteor showers.
Moons: Natural satellites that orbit planets, dwarf planets, asteroids, or other bodies in the solar system.