How Do Scientists Study Comets and Asteroids
Scientists use powerful telescopes, radar and computer models to track these space travellers. But sometimes, watching from Earth isn’t good enough.
Spacecraft have orbited asteroids, landed on them, and brought samples back to Earth. The Rosetta, Hayabusa and Hayabusa 2 missions revealed how these small objects contain organic molecules, some of the basic building blocks of life. By comparing asteroids to comets, scientists learned that one difference is that asteroids are like delivery trucks, bringing much of Earth’s water to our young planet.
They may be tiny specks in space, but asteroids and comets pack a punch—reshaping and creating the conditions that made life possible.