asteroids

Asteroids – also called minor planets or planetoids – are a class of non-comet, solid astronomical objects.
The word ‘asteroid’, meaning ‘star-like’ (from the Greek word ‘aster’ meaning ‘star’ and ‘eidos’ meaning ‘form or shape’), was coined in 1802 by British astronomer Sir William Herschel.
The first asteroid to be named, ‘Ceres’, was discovered in 1801 by Giuseppe Piazzi; it is the largest-known asteroid to date, but is now classified as a dwarf planet.