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Asteroids, comets and Kuiper belt are bodies smaller than planets that orbit the sun. Asteroids are composed of metals and rock, whereas comets also contain ice and dust. The Kuiper belt is a collection of such bodies that orbits at the edge of the solar system.
Stony near-Earth asteroids may undergo fragmentation of surface rocks triggered by thermal shocks as they pass through the shadows of terrestrial planets, leading to surface rejuvenation, according to orbital simulations and thermophysical modelling.
In this study, the authors study the regolith thickness at the Chang’E-5 region on the Moon. Based on this, they infer an increased small impactor for this area, being about 1.2-1.6 times higher than previously estimated.
Evidence suggests that meteoroid impacts on Ceres can trigger landslides, according to morphometric and absolute dating analysis of landslides and impact craters.
Space missions imaging small asteroid moons revealed the variety in shapes. Here, the authors show that repeated low-speed collisions can explain the shape of Selam, which is the smaller component in Dinkinesh-Selam binary asteroid system.
Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission impacted Dimorphos to test asteroid deflection. Here, the authors show that post-impact spectra largely match pre-impact properties, with only subtle variations probably linked to mutual events and to the evolution of the ejecta dust.
A Ryugu sample shows hydrothermal alteration (230–400 °C), linking returned material to Hayabusa2 spectral data and supporting Ryugu’s formation via a disruptive impact event, bridging spacecraft and sample observations.
Kelly Fast, Acting Planetary Defense Officer for NASA, describes the global network working to detect and assess asteroids that could potentially threaten Earth.
The importance of small bodies in Solar System studies is not proportional to their size. Due to their variety of types, scope, and link to Solar System formation, they are one of the most active fields in planetary science.
The Chinese Tianwen-2 mission will perform a double fly-by of two small bodies, sampling a near-Earth asteroid and returning samples to Earth before continuing towards a main-belt comet.
The mineralogy of samples returned from asteroid Bennu yield valuable insights into the physical and chemical processes — on both small and large scales — that shape small bodies in the Solar System.
