Asteroids Visited by Spacecraft (part of a series of graphics depicting asteroids and comets visited by spacecraft).

18 August 202023 July 2021 by vissiniti

Asteroids and Comets Visited by Spacecraft

Graphics showing all of the asteroids and comets visited by spacecraft as at 18 August 2020.

Not to scale, but sized and distributed to give an idea of increasing size and distance.

If you use it, make sure you credit the sources.

The Trans-Neptunian Object 486958 Arrokoth isn’t included, but as at 1 January 2019 it became the farthest object in the Solar System to be visited by a spacecraft, at 44.58 AU.

To understand the difference between asteroids and comets, read Asteroid vs Comet. To understand the different asteroid spectral types, read History of Asteroid Classification.

Click here to view a comparative graphic of the 22 largest objects in the asteroid belt.

Asteroids Visited by Spacecraft (graphic - part of an infographic series depicting asteroids and comets visited by spacecraft). — Individual images credited to: CNSA, ESA, JAXA, NASA.

Comets Visited by Spacecraft (graphic - part of an infographic series depicting asteroids and comets visited by spacecraft). — Individual images credited to: ESA, NASA.

Orbits of asteroids visited by spacecraft as at 9 August 2018 of all asteroids visited by space missions (graphic - part of an infographic series depicting asteroids and comets visited by spacecraft). — Individual images credited to: CNSA (Toutatis), ESA (Šteins, Lutetia), JAXA (Itokawa, Ryugu), NASA (Annefrank, Bennu, Braille, Ceres, Eros, Gaspra, Ida & Dactyl, Mathilde, Vesta).

The Shape of Asteroids - The Potato Radius — Individual images credited to: [2867, 21] ESA; [16*] ESO/LAM/P. Vernazza; [1, 4] NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/MPS/DLR/IDA. *Psyche has not yet been visited so this is a shape model — the asteroid will be visited by a spacecraft in 2026.

Solar System distances (log scale).
How far is the Earth from the Sun?
How far is the Sun from the nearest star Centauri?
Where are asteroids and comets located?
Where are Kuiper Belt Objects located?
Where are Scattered Disk Objects located?
Where are Centaurs located?
Where re Damocloids located?
What is the difference between short period and long period comets?
Where are Trans-Neptunian Objects located?
Where does interstellar space begin?
Where is the Hills Cloud?
Where is the Oort Cloud? — Mini-planet and probe images credited to: NASA/JPL-Caltech (Messenger, Magellan, Viking, Voyager, Cassini, New Horizons).