Space Engine planetary Database Wiki
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Introduction[]

Asteroids are simply defined as airless rocks and boulders floating through outer space. They are mainly just minor planets that were unable to obtain enough mass to enter a spherical shape, but are too small to be recognized as dwarf planets. There can be millions of asteroids in one star system, each one with different compositions. Asteroids can be composed of iron, stone, nickel, basalt, magnesium-silicates, or other various types of minerals, including combinations of the above. In SpaceEngine, asteroids are any celestial body made up of mainly rock less than 600 kilometers across.

Atmospheres[]

RS 0-4-1882-1365-4095-8-16752134-5007 7.1

RS 0-4-1882-1365-4095-8-16752134-5007 7.1, the first asteroid discovered to have aurorae.

In very rare cases, asteroids in SpaceEngine can be found to have atmospheres. This requires a multitude of factors to align, from the surrounding environment (as in the asteroid's star system) to the characteristics of the asteroid itself. As of June 18 2024, RS 0-4-1754-1118-4095-8-16775455-6924 8.2 holds the record for highest atmospheric pressure of an asteroid discovered, at 0.001808 Earth atmospheres.
Vesta-main

View of Vesta, a massive asteroid found in the Sol System, in an asteroid belt located between the orbits of the desert planet Mars and the gas giant Jupiter.

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