Astronomy Picture of the Day . Animation of Asteroids Passing Near Earth . ... The above time-lapse animation follows the orbit of the Earth around the Sun for two months in 2002 as numerous asteroids , also known as minor planets , approach and pass by. ... Although none of the plotted objects came inside the orbit of our Moon, our Solar System is filled with objects as small as bits of sand, usually left by a comet, that appear as meteors as they streak into the Earth's atmosphere every day. ...