What are the rocky or metallic bodies that orbit the Sun but are too small to be planets?

What are the rocky or metallic bodies that orbit the Sun but are too small to be planets?

• A. Meteors
• B. Comets
• C. Planetoids
• D. Asteroids

Answer: (D)

These are rocky or metallic bodies that orbit the Sun but are too small to be planets. They’re called asteroids. They formed from leftovers of the early solar system that never grew into full-sized planets. Most travel in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, though some wander closer to Earth or share space with planets at certain points. They’re different from comets, which are icy and often have visible tails when near the Sun, and from meteoroids, which are tiny rocks in space or the particles that light up as meteors when they hit Earth’s atmosphere. Historically, the term planetoid has been used, but the standard name for these objects is asteroid.

These are rocky or metallic bodies that orbit the Sun but are too small to be planets. They’re called asteroids. They formed from leftovers of the early solar system that never grew into full-sized planets. Most travel in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, though some wander closer to Earth or share space with planets at certain points. They’re different from comets, which are icy and often have visible tails when near the Sun, and from meteoroids, which are tiny rocks in space or the particles that light up as meteors when they hit Earth’s atmosphere. Historically, the term planetoid has been used, but the standard name for these objects is asteroid.