Space near the Sun holds more than planets. Small objects made of rock, metal, ice, and dust also travel here. These include asteroids, comets, and meteors—each different by origin and form. Scientists watch thousands yearly to learn and protect Earth. Asteroids are rocky or metallic leftovers from planet formation, mostly found in the belt between Mars and Jupiter. They can be irregular in shape and usually larger than one meter. NASA missions like OSIRIS-REx bring asteroid samples to Earth for study. Comets are icy bodies from beyond Jupiter. When near the Sun, heat turns their ice into gas, forming a glowing coma and long tail pointing away from the Sun. Comets shine brightest only when close to the inner Solar System. Meteoroids are small rocks or metal pieces, often from asteroid collisions or comet dust. When entering Earth’s atmosphere fast, they heat up and produce bright streaks called meteors or shooting stars. If parts reach the ground, those are meteorites. Some asteroids and comets, known as near-Earth objects, come within 50 million kilometers of Earth’s orbit. Large ones are rare and mostly known, but many small ones remain to be tracked. Ongoing monitoring helps planetary defense, done quietly at telescopes around the world.