Asteroids

Asteroids are small rocky or metallic bodies orbiting the Sun, mostly remnants of the material left over from the formation of the Solar System about 4.6 billion years ago. Most are located in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, although many follow very different orbits.

Dwarf planets, such as Ceres, Pluto, Eris, Haumea and Makemake, are much larger bodies whose gravity has shaped them into a nearly spherical form, but which do not meet all the requirements to be classified as planets.

In amateur astrophotography, asteroids and distant dwarf planets generally appear as tiny points of light. Their movement becomes visible by comparing images taken at different times, revealing their changing position against the background stars.