Other sources describe them as “cosmic rubble” or remnants from the formation of the Solar System. There are millions of asteroids orbiting the Sun, with around 750,000 of them found in the asteroid belt, a large region located between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. Asteroids can vary in size, with some reaching hundreds of kilometers in diameter. Ceres, sometimes referred to as a dwarf planet, has a diameter of 940 km. Asteroids do not have an atmosphere, but many are large enough to have a gravitational pull – in fact, some asteroids have one or two companion satellites or form binary systems, where two similarly-sized asteroids orbit around each other. Scientists eagerly study asteroids because they provide valuable information about the birth of our Solar System approximately 4.6 billion years ago.
Comets, on the other hand, are celestial objects that burn and vaporize as they enter Earth’s atmosphere; they are often referred to as “shooting stars.” If a comet does not completely burn up while passing through Earth’s atmosphere and lands on the ground, it is called a meteorite.
Meteorites are typically classified as either iron meteorites or stony meteorites. As the names suggest, iron meteorites contain about 90% iron, while stony meteorites are composed of oxygen, iron, silicon, magnesium, and other elements.
There is also the term “meteoroid,” which is a general term describing small particles from comets or asteroids that orbit the Sun. There is no widely accepted definition (based on size or any other characteristic) that distinguishes between a meteoroid and an asteroid – it simply means that a meteoroid is smaller than an asteroid.
These objects are referred to as meteors only when they enter Earth’s atmosphere. Because meteors explode in the atmosphere, the visible fireball is known as a bolide. There is no exact definition of a bolide – most astronomers understand it as a very bright fireball.
In summary, while asteroids, comets, and meteoroids share some similarities, they also have distinct characteristics that allow for differentiation. Hopefully, this knowledge will be helpful to you.