1. small rocky bodies orbiting the sun, typically found in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter
Usage: astronomy

Examples

• Scientists study asteroids to learn about the early solar system.
• The asteroid belt contains thousands of rocky objects.
• Some asteroids have struck Earth in the past, creating large craters.
• NASA tracks potentially dangerous asteroids that come near our planet.
• The largest asteroid, Ceres, is now classified as a dwarf planet.
• Asteroids are made mostly of rock and metal.
• Space missions have visited several asteroids to collect samples.