Asteroids are smaller than any of the planets and only a few have a diameter of over 30 kilometers. Asteroids are small rocky or icy bodies that orbit the Sun. They are sometimes called minor planets. Most asteroids are found in an orbit between Mars and Jupiter, and more than 7,000 of them have been identified. The term asteroid is usually applied to objects that are larger that 1.6 kilometers in diameter. One asteroid, called Ida, has a tiny moon all of its own. This is the smallest known satellite in the Solar System. Asteroids were probably formed at the same time as the planets.
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Many asteroids have struck the Earth already, and many scientists believe that such an impact resulted in the extinction of the dinosaurs about 65 million years ago.
resources: Tell me why (Chancellor Press)
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