Which term describes rocky bodies that orbit the Sun and are too small to be considered planets?

• A. Meteors
• B. Comets
• C. Asteroids
• D. Dwarf planets

Answer: (C)

Rocky bodies that orbit the Sun and are too small to be planets are called asteroids. They’re leftover building blocks from the early solar system and most sit in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. They vary in size from tiny grains to objects hundreds of kilometers across, but they aren’t large enough to become or maintain a true planet, and they haven’t cleared their neighboring space. For context, meteors are rocks that burn up in Earth’s atmosphere; comets are icy bodies with tails that glow as they approach the Sun; and dwarf planets are large enough to be nearly round and orbit the Sun, but they don’t dominate their orbits the way full planets do.