VLT/SPHERE images of most asteroids > 210 km in diameter to scale. Deconvolved with MISTRAL algorithm. Main-belt asteroids > 200 km that were not imaged are (451) Patientia, (65) Cybele and (107) Camilla. Trojan (624) Hektor may also be in this size range.
VLT/SPHERE images of a large number of asteroids 100 to 210 km in diameter, to scale. (10) Hygiea, (31) Euphrosyne and (8) Flora have collisional families; all three are round due to having re-coalesced after being disrupted.

The following is a collection of lists of asteroids of the Solar System that are exceptional in some way, such as their size or orbit. For the purposes of this article, "asteroid" refers to minor planets out to the orbit of Neptune, and includes the dwarf planet 1 Ceres, the Jupiter trojans and the centaurs, but not trans-Neptunian objects (objects in the Kuiper belt, scattered disc or inner Oort cloud). For a complete list of minor planets in numerical order, see List of minor planets.

Asteroids are given minor planet numbers, but not all minor planets are asteroids. Minor planet numbers are also given to objects of the Kuiper belt, which is similar to the asteroid belt but farther out (around 30–60 AU), whereas asteroids are mostly between 2–3 AU from the Sun or at the orbit of Jupiter 5 AU from the Sun. Also, comets are not typically included under minor planet numbers, and have their own naming conventions.

Asteroids are given a unique sequential identifying number once their orbit is precisely determined. Prior to this, they are known only by their systematic name or provisional designation, such as 1950 DA.

Physical characteristics

Largest by diameter

Estimating the sizes of asteroids from observations is difficult due to their irregular shapes, varying albedo, and small angular diameter. Observations by the Very Large Telescope of most large asteroids were published 2019–2021.[1][2]

Name Picture Diameter (km)
(geometric mean)
Dimensions (km)Mean distance
from Sun (in AU)
Inclination (°)Date discoveredDiscovererClass
1 Ceres939.4±0.2964.4 × 964.2 × 891.82.766 10.6January 1, 1801Piazzi, G.G
4 Vesta525.4±0.2572.6 × 557.2 × 446.4 ± 0.22.362 7.14March 29, 1807Olbers, H. W.V
2 Pallas511±4[1]568×530×4502.773 34.9March 28, 1802Olbers, H. W.B
10 Hygiea433±8[1]450×430×4243.139 5.1April 12, 1849de Gasparis, A.C
704 Interamnia332±5[1]362×348×3103.062 17.3October 2, 1910Cerulli, V.F
52 Europa319±4[1]378×336×2553.095 7.48February 4, 1858Goldschmidt, H.C
511 Davida298±4[1]359×293×2533.168 15.9May 30, 1903Dugan, R. S.C
87 Sylvia271±5[1]363×249×191
or 374×248×194
3.485 10.9May 16, 1866Pogson, N. R.X
15 Eunomia270±3[1]357×255×2122.643 11.75July 29, 1851de Gasparis, A.S
31 Euphrosyne268±4[1]294×280×2483.149 26.3September 1, 1854Ferguson, J.C
65 Cybele263±3297 × 291 × 2133.439 3.56March 8, 1861Tempel, E. W.C
624 Hektor256±12
(if bilobe)
403 × 2015.235 18.66February 10, 1907Kopff, A.D
3 Juno254±2[1]288×250×2252.672 12.98September 1, 1804Harding, K. L.S
451 Patientia254±33.059 15.2December 4, 1899Charlois, A.
107 Camilla254±12[3]3.476 10November 17, 1868Pogson, N. R.C
324 Bamberga227±3[1]234×224×2252.684 11.1February 25, 1892Palisa, J.C
16 Psyche223±3[1]279×232×189 ± 10%2.924 3.1March 17, 1852de Gasparis, A.M
88 Thisbe218±3[1]255×232×1932.769 5.22June 15, 1866Peters, C. H. F.B
48 Doris215±3[1]257×211×1853.108 6.55September 19, 1857Goldschmidt, H.C
19 Fortuna211±2[1]225×205×1952.442 1.57August 22, 1852Hind, J. R.G
121 Hermione209±5?[4]3.457 7.6May 12, 1872Watson, J. C.C
24 Themis208±3[1]232×220×1763.136 0.76April 5, 1853de Gasparis, A.C
94 Aurora205±4 ? (< 200 km)[1]225×1733.160 7.97September 6, 1867Watson, J. C.C
29 Amphitrite204±2[1]222×209×1832.554 6.08March 1, 1854Marth, A.S
13 Egeria202±3[1]238×199×1822.576 16.54November 2, 1850de Gasparis, A.G
130 Elektra199±2[1]262×205×1643.127 22.78February 17, 1873C. H. F. PetersC
7 Iris199±10[1]268×234×180[5]2.386 5.52August 13, 1847Hind, J. R.S
6 Hebe195±3[1]205x185x1702.426 14.75July 1, 1847Hencke, K. L.S
375 Ursula192±43.126 15.94September 18, 1893Charlois, A.C
702 Alauda191±23.195 20.59July 16, 1910Helffrich, J.C/B
45 Eugenia188±2[1]252×191×1382.720 6.61June 27, 1857Goldschmidt, H.F
41 Daphne187±13[1]235×183×1532.765 15.77May 22, 1856Goldschmidt, H.C
423 Diotima176±43.065 11.23December 7, 1896Charlois, A.C
259 Aletheia174±13.135 10.81June 28, 1886Peters, C. H. F.C/P/X
372 Palma174±33.149 23.83August 19, 1893Charlois, A.B
9 Metis173±2[1]222×182×1302.385 5.58April 25, 1848Graham, A.S
532 Herculina168±12.772 16.31April 20, 1904Wolf, M.S
354 Eleonora165±3[1]191×162×1442.798 18.4January 17, 1893Auguste CharloisS
128 Nemesis163±5[1]178×163×1472.751 6.25November 25, 1872Watson, J. C.C
(4:1 resonance) [sort by 'Mean Distance from Sun' to place in table]2.06 (defines inner edge of main belt)
(3:1 resonance)2.50 (separates inner from middle belt)
(5:2 resonance)2.82 (separates middle from outer belt)
(7:3 resonance)2.95
(2:1 resonance)3.27 (defines outermost belt)
(1:1 resonance)5.20 (Trojan asteroids defines outer edge of main belt)

The number of bodies grows rapidly as the size decreases. Based on IRAS data there are about 140 main-belt asteroids with a diameter greater than 120 km,[6] which is approximately the transition point between surviving primordial asteroids and fragments thereof.[7][8] For a more complete list, see List of Solar System objects by size.

The inner asteroid belt (defined as the region interior to the 3:1 Kirkwood gap at 2.50 AU) has few large asteroids. Of those in the above list, only 4 Vesta, 19 Fortuna, 6 Hebe, 7 Iris and 9 Metis orbit there. (Sort table by mean distance.)

Most massive

Below are the sixteen most-massive measured asteroids.[9] Ceres, at a third the estimated mass of the asteroid belt, is half again as massive as the next fifteen put together. The masses of asteroids are estimated from perturbations they induce on the orbits of other asteroids, except for asteroids that have been visited by spacecraft or have an observable moon, where a direct mass calculation is possible. Different sets of astrometric observations lead to different mass determinations; the biggest problem is accounting for the aggregate perturbations caused by all of the smaller asteroids.[10]

Comparative masses of the asteroids with nominal masses > 20×1018 kg, assuming a total Main Belt mass of 2394×1018 kg. The mass of Herculina is particularly uncertain.
Asteroids with nominal mass > 10×1018 kg
Name Mass
(×1018 kg)
Precision Approx.
proportion
of all
asteroids
1 Ceres938.350.001% (938.34–938.36)39.2%
4 Vesta259.0760.0004% (259.075–259.077)10.8%
2 Pallas2041.5% (201–207)8.5%
10 Hygiea878% (80–94)3.6%
704 Interamnia3514% (30–40)1.5%
15 Eunomia306% (29–32)1.3%
3 Juno279% (25–29)1.1%
511 Davida2727% (19–34)1.1%
52 Europa2416% (20–28)1.0%
16 Psyche2313% (20–26)1.0%
532 Herculina≈ 23 ?≈ 1%
31 Euphrosyne1718% (14–19)0.7%
65 Cybele1512% (1317)0.6%
87 Sylvia14.760.4% (14.70–14.82)[11]0.6%
7 Iris1417% (11–16)0.6%
29 Amphitrite1316% (11–15)0.5%
6 Hebe1220% (10–15)0.5%
88 Thisbe1220% (9–14)0.5%
107 Camilla11.21% (11.1–11.3)[3]0.5%
324 Bamberga109% (9–11)0.4%
Total 1781NA75%

The proportions assume that the total mass of the asteroid belt is 2.39×1021 kg, or (12.4±1.0)×10−10 M.[12]

Outside the top four, the ranking of all the asteroids is uncertain, as there is a great deal of overlap among the estimates.

The largest asteroids with an accurately measured mass, because they have been studied by the probe Dawn, are 1 Ceres with a mass of (939.3±0.5)×1018 kg, and 4 Vesta at (259.076±0.001)×1018 kg. The third-largest asteroid with an accurately measured mass, because it has moons, is 87 Sylvia at (14.76±0.06)×1018 kg. Other large asteroids with masses measured from their moons are 107 Camilla and 130 Elektra.[3][13][1]

For a more complete list, see List of Solar System objects by size. Other large asteroids such as 423 Diotima currently only have estimated masses.[14][15]

Brightest from Earth

Only Vesta is regularly bright enough to be seen with the naked eye. Under ideal viewing conditions with very dark skies, a keen eye might be able to also see Ceres, as well as Pallas and Iris at their rare perihelic oppositions.[16] The following asteroids can all reach an apparent magnitude brighter than or equal to the +8.3 attained by Saturn's moon Titan at its brightest, which was discovered 145 years before the first asteroid was found owing to its closeness to the easily observed Saturn.

None of the asteroids in the outer part of the asteroid belt can ever attain this brightness. Even Hygiea and Interamnia rarely reach magnitudes of above 10.0. This is due to the different distributions of spectral types within different sections of the asteroid belt: the highest-albedo asteroids are all concentrated closer to the orbit of Mars, and much lower albedo C and D types are common in the outer belt.

Those asteroids with very high eccentricities will only reach their maximum magnitude rarely, when their perihelion is very close to a heliocentric conjunction with Earth, or (in the case of 99942 Apophis, (152680) 1998 KJ9, (153814) 2001 WN5, and 367943 Duende) when the asteroid passes very close to Earth.

Asteroid Magnitude
when
brightest
Semi-
major
axis
(AU)
Eccentricity
of orbit
Diameter
(km)
Year of
discovery
99942 Apophis3.4*0.9220.1910.322004
4 Vesta5.202.3610.0891725291807
2 Pallas6.492.7730.2307255441802
1 Ceres6.652.7660.0799059521801
7 Iris6.732.3850.2314222001847
433 Eros6.81.4580.22272534 × 11 × 111898
(153814) 2001 WN56.851.7110.4672070.932001
367943 Duende7.040.9100.0893190.04 × 0.022012
6 Hebe7.52.4250.2017261861847
3 Juno7.52.6680.2581942331804
18 Melpomene7.52.2960.2187081411852
(152680) 1998 KJ97.741.4480.6397700.51998
15 Eunomia7.92.6430.1871812681851
8 Flora7.92.2020.1562071281847
324 Bamberga8.02.6820.3382522291892
1036 Ganymed8.12.66570.533710321924
9 Metis8.12.3870.1214411901848
192 Nausikaa8.22.4040.2462161031879
20 Massalia8.32.4090.1428801451852

* Apophis will only achieve that brightness on April 13, 2029.[17][18] It typically has an apparent magnitude of 20–22.

Slowest rotators

This list contains the slowest-rotating known minor planets with a period of at least 1000 hours, or 4123 days, while most bodies have rotation periods between 2 and 20 hours. Also see Potentially slow rotators for minor planets with an insufficiently accurate period (U < 2).

# Minor planet designation Rotation period
(hours)
Δmag Quality
(U)
Orbit or family Spectral type Diameter
(km)
Abs. mag
(H)
Refs
1.(162058) 1997 AE1218800.62 NEOS0.78217.9LCDB  · List
2.846 Lipperta16410.302 ThemisCBU:52.4110.26LCDB  · List
3.2440 Educatio15610.802 FloraS6.5113.1LCDB  · List
4.912 Maritima13320.183−MBA (outer)C82.14 9.30LCDB  · List
5.9165 Raup13201.343−HungariaS4.6213.60LCDB  · List
6.1235 Schorria12651.403 HungariaCX:5.0413.10LCDB  · List
7.50719 Elizabethgriffin12560.422 EunomiaS3.4014.65LCDB  · List
8.(75482) 1999 XC1731234.20.692 VestianS2.9615.01LCDB  · List
9.288 Glauke11700.903 MBA (outer)S32.2410.00LCDB  · List
10.(39546) 1992 DT51167.40.802 MBA (outer)C5.3415.09LCDB  · List
11.496 Gryphia10721.253 FloraS15.4711.61LCDB  · List
12.4524 Barklajdetolli10691.262 FloraS7.1412.90LCDB  · List
13.2675 Tolkien10600.752+FloraS9.8512.20LCDB  · List
14.(219774) 2001 YY1451007.70.862 MBA (inner)S1.5416.43LCDB  · List

Fastest rotators

This list contains the fastest-rotating minor planets with a period of less than 100 seconds, or 0.027 hours. Bodies with a highly uncertain period, having a quality of less than 2, are highlighted in dark-grey. The fastest rotating bodies are all unnumbered near-Earth objects (NEOs) with a diameter of less than 100 meters (see table).

Among the numbered minor planets with an unambiguous period solution are (459872) 2014 EK24, a 60-meter sized stony NEO with a period of 352 seconds, as well as (335433) 2005 UW163 and (60716) 2000 GD65, two main-belt asteroids, with a diameter of 0.86 and 2.25 kilometers and a period of 1.29 and 1.95 hours, respectively (see full list).

# Minor
planet
designation
Rotation period Δmag Quality
(U)
Orbit or
family
Spectral
type
Diameter
(km)
Abs. mag
(H)
Refs
(seconds) (hours)
1.2014 RC160.0043890.10n.a.NEOS0.01226.80LCDB  · MPC
2.2015 SV6180.004900.742 NEOS0.00927.70LCDB  · MPC
3.2010 JL88250.00682950.523 NEOS0.01326.80LCDB  · MPC
4.2017 EK300.00830.302 NEOS0.04524.10LCDB  · MPC
5.2010 WA310.00857990.223 NEOS0.00330.00LCDB  · MPC
6.2017 UK8310.00863091.303 NEOS0.00728.20LCDB  · MPC
7.2016 GE1340.0094380.132 NEOS0.01426.60LCDB  · MPC
8.2008 HJ430.011850.803−NEOS0.02125.80LCDB  · MPC
9.2009 TM8430.012n.a.NEOS0.00628.40LCDB  · MPC
10.2015 SU460.01270.202−NEOS0.02525.40LCDB  · MPC
11.2010 SK13520.0144n.a.NEOS0.0127.40LCDB  · MPC
12.2009 BF2570.015930.803 NEOS0.0225.90LCDB  · MPC
13.2016 GS2660.01827250.061 NEOS0.07523.00LCDB  · MPC
14.2010 TG19700.01939351.103 NEOS0.04923.90LCDB  · MPC
15.2008 WA14700.0195n.a.NEOS0.07523.00LCDB  · MPC
16.2007 KE4770.0214080.383−NEOS0.02725.20LCDB  · MPC
17.2000 DO8780.02171.393 NEOS0.03724.54LCDB  · MPC
18.2014 GQ17780.02170.082−NEOS0.01127.10LCDB  · MPC
19.2014 TV790.021900.322 NEOS0.03924.40LCDB  · MPC
20.2000 WH10800.022210.663−NEOS0.09422.50LCDB  · MPC
21.2012 HG2820.0227n.a.NEOS0.01227.00LCDB  · MPC
22.2010 TD54830.02293170.923 NEOS0.00528.90LCDB  · MPC
23.2010 TS19830.023n.a.NEOS0.02225.70LCDB  · MPC
24.2009 UD840.0232460.662+NEOS0.01127.20LCDB  · MPC
25.2014 WB366860.02380.462+NEOS0.03324.80LCDB  · MPC
26.2015 RF36900.0250.152 NEOS0.06223.40LCDB  · MPC
27.2015 AK45930.02580.242 NEOS0.01626.40LCDB  · MPC
28.2010 XE11960.02658460.503 NEOS0.07523.00LCDB  · MPC
29.2000 UK11960.0265990.282 NEOS0.02625.30LCDB  · MPC
30.2016 RB1960.026740.182+NEOS0.00728.30LCDB  · MPC
31.2015 CM960.02680.533−NEOS0.01826.10LCDB  · MPC
32.2008 TC3970.02694091.023 NEOF0.00430.90LCDB  · MPC

Orbital characteristics

Retrograde

Minor planets with orbital inclinations greater than 90° (the greatest possible is 180°) orbit in a retrograde direction. As of March 2018, of the near-800,000 minor planets known, there are only 99 known retrograde minor planets (0.01% of total minor planets known).[19] In comparison, there are over 2,000 comets with retrograde orbits. This makes retrograde minor planets the rarest group of all. High-inclination asteroids are either Mars-crossers (possibly in the process of being ejected from the Solar System) or damocloids. Some of these are temporarily captured in retrograde resonance with the gas giants.[20]

Minor planet
designation
Inclination (°) First observed/
Discovery date
Condition code Obs. × arc Comment Refs
2017 UX5190.517°October 27, 2017079254MPC
2018 SQ1390.973°September 21, 201817407MPC
2015 TN17891.093°October 8, 2015038805MPC
2005 SB22391.294°September 30, 2005112200Has a well-determined orbitMPC
2014 MH5591.486°June 29, 2014696MPC
2010 EQ16991.607°March 8, 2010?15MPC
2015 RK24591.616°September 13, 20150184680MPC
2016 TK292.336°July 13, 201626075MPC
(518151) 2016 FH1393.551°March 29, 2016091561MPC
2014 PP6993.652°August 5, 201418085MPC
2015 BH31194.160°January 20, 2015?39MPC
2017 OX6894.748°July 26, 20178720MPC
2014 JJ5795.924°May 9, 2014095710MPC
2013 HS15097.434°April 16, 2013220MPC
2013 BL7698.592°January 20, 201346716Has a semi-major axis of 1254 AU, giving it the third largest semi-major axis of any known minor planetMPC
2010 GW14799.835°April 14, 2010097888MPC
2011 MM4100.482°June 24, 20110364936MPC
2017 NM2101.295°July 6, 2017128014MPC
2014 XS3101.381°December 8, 2014023544MPC
2013 BN27101.828°January 17, 20131400MPC
(528219) 2008 KV42103.396°May 31, 20081198550MPC
(342842) 2008 YB3105.058°December 18, 200801608789MPC
2016 PN66105.113°August 14, 2016063879MPC
2010 GW64105.226°April 6, 201009072MPC
2012 YO6106.883°December 22, 201236674MPC
2009 DD47107.449°February 27, 2009?1584MPC
2017 UR52108.218°October 29, 20171638MPC
2007 VW266108.328°November 12, 200752204MPC
2011 SP25109.074°September 20, 201133654MPC
(471325) 2011 KT19110.104°May 31, 20111234828MPC
2005 TJ50110.226°October 5, 200551488MPC
2011 OR17110.504°May 21, 201071808MPC
2005 VX3112.224°November 1, 20054212Semi-major axis of 837AU, but has a somewhat short 81-day observation arc for such a large orbitMPC
2017 SV13113.243°September 17, 201742160MPC
2016 LS114.338°June 27, 2015026688MPC
2015 YY18118.243°December 29, 2015033454MPC
2010 OM101118.797°July 28, 201023535MPC
(65407) 2002 RP120118.970°September 4, 20020648554This outer-planet crosser is a damocloid and SDO.MPC
2010 PO58121.179°August 5, 20108120MPC
2010 LG61123.886°June 2, 20107935MPC
(468861) 2013 LU28125.356°June 8, 20130238336MPC
2014 SQ339128.506°September 29, 201441334MPC
2000 DG8129.246°February 25, 2000242408A damocloid and SDO. Crosses all the outer planets except Neptune. Came within 0.03 AU of Ceres in 1930.[21]MPC
2016 CO264129.820°February 14, 2016023800MPC
2013 NS11130.333°July 5, 20130143510MPC
2005 NP82130.505°July 6, 20051662673MPC
2006 RG1133.437°September 1, 20064750Has an orbit with a data arc of 25 daysMPC
2012 YE8136.049°December 21, 201251066MPC
2017 AX13137.204°January 2, 201731785MPC
2009 QY6137.668°August 17, 2009143990MPC
2016 TP93138.330°October 9, 2016?704MPC
2016 YB13139.682°December 23, 2016150718MPC
2019 EJ3139.758°March 4, 2019?576MPC
2015 AO44139.934°November 27, 20140115821MPC
(336756) 2010 NV1140.773°July 1, 20100330022Perihelion at 9.4 AU, only 2008 KV42 has perihelion further out (154-day data arc)MPC
2011 WS41141.645°November 24, 2011?108MPC
2010 OR1143.912°January 25, 2010135032MPC
2010 BK118143.914°January 30, 2010374596Semi-major axis of 408 AU with perihelion at 6.1 AU in April 2012 (1 year data arc)MPC
(523797) 2016 NM56144.034°November 1, 20120227052MPC
2017 UW51144.203°October 23, 201768442MPC
2010 CG55146.262°February 15, 20100129000MPC
2012 HD2146.883°April 18, 2012031408MPC
2009 YS6147.767°December 17, 20090195734MPC
2016 VY17148.419°November 5, 20160108624MPC
2017 QO33148.826°August 16, 2017145360MPC
2006 EX52150.148°March 5, 2006062310q=2.58 AU and period=274 yrMPC
1999 LE31151.816°June 12, 19992905838A damocloid, Jupiter- and Saturn-crossing minor planet.[22]MPC
2017 SN33152.044°September 19, 20177590MPC
2018 WB1152.136°November 19, 20187351MPC
2016 JK24152.326°March 3, 20160181965MPC
2017 CW32152.438°February 2, 201751500MPC
343158 Marsyas154.367°April 29, 20090771834NEO that sometimes has the highest relative velocity to Earth (79 km/s) of known objects that come within 0.5 AU of Earth. However, the relative velocity at 1 AU from the sun is less than 72 km/s.MPC
2013 LD16154.736°June 6, 2013014148MPC
2021 TH165154.924°October 11, 202132510Retrograde trans-Neptunian object close to a 3:–2 mean-motion orbital resonance with Neptune.MPC
2015 FK37155.842°March 20, 2015?748MPC
2010 EB46156.376°March 12, 201042460MPC
2015 XR384157.514°December 9, 201525580MPC
2000 HE46158.535°April 29, 2000225960MPC
2015 XX351159.092°December 9, 2015021120MPC
2012 TL139160.027°October 9, 20123900MPC
2019 CR160.341°February 4, 2019136993MPC
20461 Dioretsa160.428°June 8, 19990256779most highly inclined known minor planet from June 8, 1999, to July 13, 2004MPC
2018 DO4160.475°February 25, 20180261726MPC
2017 JB6160.735°May 4, 2017?6844MPC
(523800) 2017 KZ31161.695°June 23, 20150119280MPC
514107 Kaʻepaokaʻawela163.022°November 26, 2014074898A Jupiter co-orbital. First known example of a retrograde co-orbital asteroid with any of the planets. Might have an interstellar origin.MPC
Src
2006 RJ2164.601°September 14, 200652849MPC
2006 BZ8165.311°January 23, 20060207459MPC
2004 NN8165.525°July 13, 200423944Came within 0.80 AU of Saturn on 2007-Jun-05, most highly inclined known minor planet from 2004/07/13-2005/11/01MPC
(459870) 2014 AT28165.558°November 26, 20130186598MPC
2016 DF2167.030°February 28, 2016?26MPC
(330759) 2008 SO218170.324°September 30, 200801058616MPC
2014 UV114170.569°October 26, 2014?34MPC
2014 CW14170.764°February 10, 201441938MPC
2018 TL6170.919°October 5, 20187270MPC
2016 EJ203170.988°March 11, 2016018081MPC
2006 LM1172.138°June 3, 2006?48Has a data arc of only 2 days, but has a very high inclinationMPC
(434620) 2005 VD172.872°November 1, 20050228965most highly inclined known minor planet from November 1, 2005, to June 1, 2013MPC
2013 LA2175.095°June 1, 201361075Has the highest inclination of any known minor planetMPC

^ the value given when the number of observations is multiplied by the observation arc; larger values are generally better than smaller values depending on residuals.

Highly inclined

Minor planet designation Inclination Discovery date Comment Refs
1 Ceres10.593° January 1, 1801 most highly inclined known minor planet from January 1, 1801, to March 28, 1802 MPC
2 Pallas34.841° March 28, 1802 most highly inclined known minor planet from March 28, 1802, to October 31, 1920 MPC
944 Hidalgo42.525° October 31, 1920 most highly inclined known minor planet from October 31, 1920, to May 22, 1950 MPC
1373 Cincinnati38.949° August 30, 1935 First main-belt asteroid discovered to have an inclination greater than 2 Pallas. Most highly inclined known main-belt asteroid from August 30, 1935, to June 14, 1980 MPC
1580 Betulia52.083° May 22, 1950 most highly inclined known minor planet from May 22, 1950, to July 4, 1973 MPC
2938 Hopi41.436° June 14, 1980 Most highly inclined known main-belt asteroid from June 14, 1980, to September 20, 2000 MPC
(5496) 1973 NA67.999° July 4, 1973 An Apollo asteroid, Mars-crosser and +1 km NEO; most highly inclined known minor planet from 4 July 1973 to 8 August 1999. MPC
(22653) 1998 QW245.794° August 17, 1998 Most highly inclined known main-belt asteroid from August 17, 1998, to October 19, 1998 MPC
(88043) 2000 UE11051.998° October 29, 2000 First main-belt asteroid discovered and numbered to have an inclination greater than 50°. MPC
(138925) 2001 AU4372.132° January 4, 2001 A Mars-crosser and near-Earth object. MPC
(127546) 2002 XU9377.904° December 4, 2002 A damocloid and SDO. It is almost a Uranus outer-grazer. MPC
(196256) 2003 EH170.790° March 6, 2003 A Mars-crosser, near-Earth object and Jupiter inner-grazer. MPC
1998 UQ164.281° October 19, 1998 Most highly inclined known main-belt asteroid from 1998/10/19-2007/11/01 MPC
(467372) 2004 LG70.725° June 9, 2004 A Mercury- through Mars-crosser and near-Earth object. MPC
2007 VR668.659° November 1, 2007 Most highly inclined known main-belt asteroid from November 1, 2007, to September 26, 2008 MPC
2008 SB8574.247° September 26, 2008 Most highly inclined known main-belt asteroid from September 26, 2008, to March 8, 2010 MPC
2010 EQ16991.606° March 8, 2010 Most highly inclined known main-belt asteroid (orbit is not well-known) MPC

Trojans

Record-setting close approaches to Earth

Viewed in detail

Spacecraft targets

NameDiameter
(km)
DiscoveredSpacecraftYear(s)Closest
approach
(km)
Closest
approach
(asteroid radii)
NotesLandmark(s)
1 Ceres939.4January 1, 1801Dawn2014–present3750.80Dawn took its first "close up" picture of Ceres in December 2014, and entered orbit in March 2015First likely dwarf planet visited by a spacecraft, largest asteroid visited by a spacecraft
4 Vesta525.4March 29, 1807Dawn2011–20122100.76Dawn broke orbit on 5 September 2012 and headed to Ceres, where it arrived in March 2015First "big four" asteroid visited by a spacecraft, largest asteroid visited by a spacecraft at the time
21 Lutetia120×100×80November 15, 1852Rosetta20103,16264.9Flyby on 10 July 2010Largest asteroid visited by a spacecraft at the time
243 Ida56×24×21September 29, 1884Galileo19932,390152Flyby; discovered DactylFirst asteroid with a moon visited by a spacecraft, largest asteroid visited by spacecraft at the time
253 Mathilde66×48×46November 12, 1885NEAR Shoemaker19971,21249.5FlybyLargest asteroid visited by a spacecraft at the time
433 Eros13×13×33August 13, 1898NEAR Shoemaker1998–2001001998 flyby; 2000 orbited (first asteroid studied from orbit); 2001 landingFirst asteroid landing, first asteroid orbited by a spacecraft, first near-Earth asteroid (NEA) visited by a spacecraft
951 Gaspra18.2×10.5×8.9July 30, 1916Galileo19911,600262Flybyfirst asteroid visited by a spacecraft
2867 Šteins4.6November 4, 1969Rosetta2008800302FlybyFirst asteroid visited by the ESA
4179 Toutatis4.5×~2February 10, 1934Chang'e 220123.20.70Flyby[23]Closest asteroid flyby, first asteroid visited by China
5535 Annefrank4.0March 23, 1942Stardust20023,0791230Flyby
9969 Braille2.2×0.6May 27, 1992Deep Space 119992612.7Flyby; followed by flyby of Comet Borrelly
25143 Itokawa0.5×0.3×0.2September 26, 1998Hayabusa200500Landed; returned dust samples to EarthFirst asteroid with returned samples, smallest asteroid visited by a spacecraft, first asteroid visited by a non-NASA spacecraft
162173 Ryugu1.0May 10, 1999Hayabusa22018–201900Multiple landers/rovers, sample returnFirst rovers on an asteroid
101955 Bennu0.492September 11, 1999OSIRIS-REx2018–202100Sample returnSmallest asteroid orbited, potentially hazardous object
65803 Didymos0.492September 11, 1999DART/LICIACube20221.23.2Impactor/flybyMoon Dimorphos impacted by DART spacecraft, flown by LICIACube
152830 Dinkinesh0.790October 15, 1999Lucy20234251076Flyby; first of 8 planned asteroid flybysSmallest main-belt asteroid visited to date; discovered first contact binary satellite Selam

Surface resolved by telescope or lightcurve

Multiple systems resolved by telescope

Comet-like activity

Disintegration

Timeline

Landmark asteroids

NameDiameter (km)DiscoveredComment
1 Ceres939January 1, 1801First asteroid discovered
5 Astraea117December 8, 1845First asteroid discovered after original four (38 years later)
20 Massalia136September 19, 1852First asteroid named after city
45 Eugenia202June 27, 1857First asteroid named after living person
87 Sylvia261May 16, 1866First asteroid known to have more than one moon (determined in 2005)
90 Antiope80×80October 1, 1866Double asteroid with two nearly equal components; its double nature was discovered using adaptive optics in 2000
92 Undina1261867 July 7Created in one of the largest asteroid-on-asteroid collisions of the past 100 million years
216 Kleopatra217×94April 10, 1880Metallic asteroid with "ham-bone" shape and 2 satellites
243 Ida56×24×21September 29, 1884First asteroid known to have a moon (determined in 1994)
243 Ida I Dactyl1.4February 17, 1994Moon of 243 Ida, first confirmed satellite of an asteroid
279 Thule127October 25, 1888Orbits in the asteroid belt's outermost edge in a 3:4 orbital resonance with Jupiter
288 Glauke32February 20, 1890Exceptionally slow rotation period of about 1200 hours (2 months)
323 Brucia36December 22, 1891First asteroid discovered by means of astrophotography rather than visual observation
433 Eros13×13×33August 13, 1898First near-Earth asteroid discovered and the second largest; first asteroid to be detected by radar; first asteroid orbited and landed upon
482 Petrina23.3March 3, 1902First asteroid named after dog
490 Veritas115September 3, 1902Created in one of the largest asteroid-on-asteroid collisions of the past 100 million years
588 Achilles135.5February 22, 1906First Jupiter trojan discovered
624 Hektor370×195February 10, 1907Largest Jupiter trojan discovered
719 Albert2.4October 3, 1911Last numbered asteroid to be lost then recovered
935 Clivia6.4September 7, 1920First asteroid named after flower
1090 Sumida13February 20, 1928Lowest numbered asteroid with no English Wikipedia entry
1125 China27October 30, 1957First asteroid discovery to be credited to an institution rather than a person
1566 Icarus1.4June 27, 1949First Mercury crosser discovered
1902 Shaposhnikov97April 18, 1972Last ~100+ km in diameter asteroid discovered
2309 Mr. Spock21.3August 16, 1971First asteroid named after cat
3200 Phaethon5October 11, 1983First asteroid discovered from space; source of Geminids meteor shower.
3753 Cruithne5October 10, 1986Unusual Earth-associated orbit
4179 Toutatis4.5×2.4×1.9January 4, 1989Closely approached Earth on September 29, 2004
4769 Castalia1.8×0.8August 9, 1989First asteroid to be radar-imaged in sufficient detail for 3D modeling[24]
5261 Eureka~2–4June 20, 1990First Mars trojan (Lagrangian point L5) discovered
11885 Summanus1.3September 25, 1990First automated discovery of a near-Earth object (NEO)
(29075) 1950 DA1.1February 23, 1950Will approach Earth very closely in 2880, collision unlikely (1 in 8,300 or 0.012%)[25]
69230 Hermes0.3October 28, 1937Named but not numbered until its recovery in 2003 (65 years later)
99942 Apophis0.3June 19, 2004First asteroid to rank greater than one on the Torino Scale (it was ranked at 2, then 4; now down to 0). Previously better known by its provisional designation 2004 MN4.
(433953) 1997 XR20.23December 4, 1997First asteroid to rank greater than zero on the impact-risk Torino Scale (it was ranked 1; now at 0)
1998 KY260.030June 2, 1998Approached within 800,000 km of Earth
2002 AA290.1January 9, 2002Unusual Earth-associated orbit
2004 FH0.030March 15, 2004Discovered before it approached within 43,000 km of Earth on March 18, 2004.
2008 TC3~0.003October 6, 2008First Earth-impactor to be spotted before impact (on October 7, 2008)
2010 TK7~0.3October 2010First Earth trojan to be discovered
2014 RC~0.017September 1, 2014Asteroid with fastest rotation: 16.2 seconds

Numbered minor planets that are also comets

NameCometary nameComment
2060 Chiron95P/ChironFirst centaur discovered in 1977, later identified to exhibit cometary behaviour. Also one of two minor planets known to have a ring system
4015 Wilson–Harrington107P/Wilson–HarringtonIn 1992, it was realized that asteroid 1979 VA's orbit matched it with the positions of the lost comet Wilson–Harrington (1949 III)
7968 Elst–Pizarro133P/Elst–PizarroDiscovered in 1996 as a comet, but orbitally matched to asteroid 1979 OW7
60558 Echeclus174P/EcheclusCentaur discovered in 2000, comet designation assigned in 2006
118401 LINEAR176P/LINEAR (LINEAR 52)Main-belt cometasteroid discovered to have a coma on November 26, 2005

The above table lists only numbered asteroids that are also comets. Note there are several cases where a non-numbered minor planets turned out to be a comet, e.g. C/2001 OG108 (LONEOS), which was provisionally designated 2001 OG108.

Minor planets that were misnamed and renamed

In earlier times, before the modern numbering and naming rules were in effect, asteroids were sometimes given numbers and names before their orbits were precisely known. And in a few cases duplicate names were given to the same object (with modern use of computers to calculate and compare orbits with old recorded positions, this type of error no longer occurs). This led to a few cases where asteroids had to be renamed.[26]

Minor planet name Description
330 AdalbertaAn object discovered March 18, 1892, by Max Wolf with provisional designation "1892 X" was named 330 Adalberta, but was lost and never recovered. In 1982 it was determined that the observations leading to the designation of 1892 X were stars, and the object never existed. The name and number 330 Adalberta was then reused for another asteroid discovered by Max Wolf on February 2, 1910, which had the provisional designation A910 CB.
525 Adelaide and 1171 RusthaweliaThe object A904 EB discovered March 14, 1904, by Max Wolf was named 525 Adelaide and was subsequently lost. Later, the object 1930 TA discovered October 3, 1930, by Sylvain Arend was named 1171 Rusthawelia. In those pre-computer days, it was not realized until 1958 that these were one and the same object. The name Rusthawelia was kept (and discovery credited to Arend); the name 525 Adelaide was reused for the object 1908 EKa discovered October 21, 1908, by Joel Hastings Metcalf.
715 Transvaalia and 933 SusiThe object 1911 LX discovered April 22, 1911, by H. E. Wood was named 715 Transvaalia. On April 23, 1920, the object 1920 GZ was discovered and named 933 Susi. In 1928 it was realized that these were one and the same object. The name Transvaalia was kept, and the name and number 933 Susi was reused for the object 1927 CH discovered February 10, 1927, by Karl Reinmuth.
864 Aase and 1078 MenthaThe object A917 CB discovered February 13, 1917, by Max Wolf was named 864 Aase, and the object 1926 XB discovered December 7, 1926, by Karl Reinmuth was named 1078 Mentha. In 1958 it was discovered that these were one and the same object. In 1974, this was resolved by keeping the name 1078 Mentha and reusing the name and number 864 Aase for the object 1921 KE, discovered September 30, 1921, by Karl Reinmuth.
1095 Tulipa and 1449 VirtanenThe object 1928 DC discovered February 24, 1928, by Karl Reinmuth was named 1095 Tulipa, and the object 1938 DO discovered February 20, 1938, by Yrjö Väisälä was named 1449 Virtanen. In 1966 it was discovered that these were one and the same object. The name 1449 Virtanen was kept and the name and number 1095 Tulipa was reused for the object 1926 GS discovered April 14, 1926, by Karl Reinmuth.
1125 China and 3789 ZhongguoThe object 1928 UF discovered October 25, 1928, by Zhang Yuzhe (Y. C. Chang) was named 1125 China, and was later lost. Later, the object 1957 UN1 was discovered on October 30, 1957, at Purple Mountain Observatory and was initially incorrectly believed to be the rediscovery of the object 1928 UF. The name and number 1125 China were then reused for the object 1957 UN1, and 1928 UF remained lost. In 1986, the object 1986 QK1 was discovered and proved to be the real rediscovery of 1928 UF. This object was given the new number and name 3789 Zhongguo. Note Zhongguo is the Mandarin Chinese word for "China", in pinyin transliteration.
Asteroid 1317 and 787 MoskvaThe object 1914 UQ discovered April 20, 1914, by G. N. Neujmin was named 787 Moskva (and retains that name to this day). The object 1934 FD discovered on March 19, 1934, by C. Jackson was given the sequence number 1317. In 1938, G. N. Neujmin found that asteroid 1317 and 787 Moskva were one and the same object. The sequence number 1317 was later reused for the object 1935 RC discovered on September 1, 1935, by Karl Reinmuth; that object is now known as 1317 Silvretta.

Landmark names

Asteroids were originally named after female mythological figures. Over time the rules loosened.

First asteroid with non-Classical and non-Latinized name: 64 Angelina (in honor of a research station)

First asteroid with a non-feminine name: 139 Juewa (ambiguous) or 141 Lumen

First asteroid with a non-feminized man's name: 903 Nealley

Lowest-numbered unnamed asteroid (As of 2021): (4596) 1981 QB

Landmark numbers

Many landmark numbers had specially chosen names for asteroids, and there was some debate about whether Pluto should have received number 10000, for example. This list includes some non-asteroids.

Powers of 10x1

Powers of 10x2

Powers of 10x3

Powers of 10x4

Powers of 10x5

Powers of 10x6

Powers of 10x7

Powers of 10x8

Powers 10x9

Repeated 1

Repeated 2

Repeated 3

Repeated 4

Repeated 5

Repeated 6

Repeated 7

Repeated 8

Repeated 9

See also

Books

  • Dictionary of Minor Planet Names, 5th ed.: Prepared on Behalf of Commission 20 Under the Auspices of the International Astronomical Union, Lutz D. Schmadel, ISBN 3-540-00238-3

References

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  2. As of Jan 2019, good rotational coverage (≥ 4 epochs) had also been obtained for 476 Hedwig and 596 Scheila.
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  4. "Small-Body Database Lookup".
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  21. 2008 DG8 and Ceres in 1930
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