Catalogs of Asteroids

The primary purpose of catalogs of asteroids is to track the orbits of asteroids, allowing astronomers to monitor their movements and predict their future positions.

The Minor Planet Center is considered the most comprehensive and authoritative source of information on asteroids, maintaining a database of over 1 million known asteroids and providing data on their orbits, physical properties, and other characteristics.

As of 2023, there are over 1 million known asteroids in our solar system, with new discoveries being made regularly.

Ceres is the largest asteroid in our solar system, with a diameter of approximately 950 kilometers.

Ceres was the first asteroid to be discovered, in 1801 by Giuseppe Piazzi.

Eros is known for its unusual shape, resembling a peanut, and was the first asteroid to be visited by a spacecraft (NEAR Shoemaker).

Shoemaker-Levy 9 was the asteroid that collided with Jupiter in 1994, creating a series of dark spots on the planet's surface.

Mars is known for its two small moons, Phobos and Deimos.

Bennu is the asteroid that is the target of the OSIRIS-REx mission, which aims to return a sample of its material to Earth.

Psyche is known for its high concentration of precious metals, such as platinum and gold.

Hector is the name of the asteroid that is the largest Trojan asteroid, sharing Jupiter's orbit.

Eros is known for its rapid rotation, completing a full rotation in just 4 hours.

Ryugu is the name of the asteroid that is the target of the Hayabusa2 mission, which successfully returned a sample of its material to Earth in 2020.

Ceres is known for its unusual composition, containing a significant amount of water ice.

Eurybates is the name of the asteroid that is the target of the Lucy mission, which aims to explore a group of Trojan asteroids sharing Jupiter's orbit.