Small rocky bodies orbiting the Sun that are neither planets, dwarf planets nor comets, including main-belt asteroids, near-Earth asteroids and centaurs whose orbits cross the outer planets. Belongs here: any minor planet whose composition and orbit place it inside or near the main asteroid belt or among the giant planets, not massive enough to be classed a dwarf planet. Does not belong here: bodies that develop a coma or tail as they near the Sun, grouped under Comets, or bodies orbiting beyond Neptune, grouped under Trans-Neptunian and Outer Solar System Objects.
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1. Wikipedia: Asteroid
Wikimedia FoundationAsteroid, lead section, discovery sentenceQuote, Asteroid, lead section, discovery sentence
Despite their large numbers, asteroids are a relatively recent discovery, with the first one, Ceres, only being identified in 1801.
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