Small worlds

Besides the planets, millions of small worlds go around the Sun. Asteroids are lumps of rock and metal, most of them between Mars and Jupiter. Dwarf planets like Pluto are round but share their path with many other worlds. Comets are lumps of ice and dust that grow a tail pointing away from the Sun when they come near it. A shooting star (meteor) is a tiny grain from space burning up in the Earth's air.

Watch · Depth 1 · 177 sA shooting star isn't a starA shooting star is a grain of dust, smaller than a grain of sand, burning up in our air. Meet the Sun's smallest family members, the asteroids, dwarf planets and comets.