Asteroids and Comets

TL;DR

This paper reviews the origins, evolution, and scientific insights of asteroids and comets, highlighting their significance in understanding Solar System formation and planetary accretion.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of current knowledge and future questions regarding asteroids and comets, integrating spacecraft mission data.

Findings

Insights into Solar System formation processes

Alteration of asteroid and comet surfaces over time

Future research directions in planetary science

Abstract

Asteroids and comets are remnants from the era of Solar System formation over 4.5 billion years ago, and therefore allow us to address two fundamental questions in astronomy: what was the nature of our protoplanetary disk, and how did the process of planetary accretion occur? The objects we see today have suffered many geophysically-relevant processes in the intervening eons that have altered their surfaces, interiors, and compositions. In this chapter we review our understanding of the origins and evolution of these bodies, discuss the wealth of science returned from spacecraft missions, and motivate important questions to be addressed in the future.