An asteroid is a minor planet—an object that is neither a true planet nor a comet—that orbits

within the inner Solar System. They are rocky, metallic, or icy bodies with no atmosphere.
The size and shape of asteroids vary significantly, ranging from small rubble piles under a
kilometer across to Ceres, a dwarf planet almost 1000 km in diameter. They are generally
classified to be of three types: C-type, M-type, and S-type. These were named after and are
generally identified with carbonaceous, metallic, and silicaceous compositions, respectively.
Ceres is the largest and first discovered asteroid, by G. Piazzi on January 1, 1801. Ceres
comprises over one-third the 2.3 x 1021 kg estimated total mass of all the asteroids. Studied
from orbit by the Dawn mission in 2015-2016.2015 TC25, which rotates once every 133
seconds, is only about 6 feet (2 meters) in diameter, making it the smallest asteroid ever
mineralogically characterized with a ground-based telescope.