text: Asteroids are celestial bodies that orbit the Sun much like the planets do. The reason that they are defined by some other term is simply because they are much smaller in size (generally, thought not all are small in size and some are definitely larger than Pluto).\n\nAsteroids orbit the Sun in elliptical orbits and are present in the area between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. Some of the orbits cross the Earth and hence can collide against Earth.